


Coeur Sauvage

by HPFandom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Drama, Explicit Language, F/M, Heterosexual Sex, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mpreg, Out of Character, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Romance, Sexual Content, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-27
Updated: 2007-06-26
Packaged: 2018-10-01 13:20:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10190744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPFandom_archivist/pseuds/HPFandom_archivist
Summary: In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions





	1. Burning

**Author's Note:**

> Note from SeparatriX, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HP Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HP_Fandom_\(archive\)), which was closed for health and financial reasons. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HP Fandom collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hpfandom/profile).

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Genlisae - Thank you kindly Ma'am ♥  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 1998  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, cameos from any and all others in the HP verse  
 **Warnings** \- Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

 

They'd always had a tumultuous relationship, always loved and fought passionately, and Harry knew he'd been an idiot to assume that would change when they started sleeping with each other in seventh year, free of constraints after the fall of Voldemort. They'd done stupid things, said stupid things, but it always got made up. Except, the fights were getting more frequent, the make-up less sincere, the silences between them more pronounced and less companionable, and Harry hated it. After leaving school they'd moved in together, and then life had hit a stasis.

Draco worked at the Ministry, deputy head of the Department for International Magical Cooperation. Harry had been a good boy and done precisely three weeks, two days, four hours and nineteen minutes of Auror training before his rib cracked for the final time. Somehow, when it wasn't a life or death situation, Harry's defensive aptitude went out of the window and he spent most of his time on his arse.

So he'd taken a token position at the Ministry, working in the Department of Charitable Contributions as a fund raiser. He'd expected it to be dull, and he hadn't been wrong. Then one day, as Harry had been banging his head against his desk from sheer boredom, he'd received a summons to Minister Shacklebolt's office. Sitting down wondering what he'd done wrong, Harry had been offered Arthur Weasley's old job in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Department, as the Weasley Patriarch was taking the Deputy Minister position. Taking the job to avoid conflict, Harry had fully expected another soul-destroying job.

He'd been pleasantly surprised to first enjoy, and then fall in love with, his new job.

Which just left his relationship that was lacking. He and Draco had fallen into a routine that was destroying Harry's spirit, and Draco's continual aversion to any form of commitment was beginning to worry him. The final straw came on a Friday evening, when Draco stumbled in around eleven, smelling of booze and cheap cigarettes. What had started off as an everyday fight had soon escalated, and that was where Harry found himself now, screaming blue murder at his lover and getting even more riled by Draco's apparent disinterest. "Oh for Merlin's sakes Harry! You're like a nagging little wife, always getting at me!"

Harry stopped yelling sharply, snapping his jaw closed and glaring at Draco. "I'm not like that. Being a nagging wife implies you've had the balls to propose, and we both know you don't do commitment."

"Oh don't start this again. Every time something doesn't go your way I get the 'commitment' rant. Perhaps if you were a bit less demanding I'd be a bit more willing to commit. But look at yourself Harry, why would anyone want to shackle themselves to you?"

Draco's words burned his ears, burned his soul, and Harry felt tears burning in his eyes. "Why indeed."

That was it, that was all he had to say, and Harry grabbed his wand as he stormed out of the apartment, ignoring Draco's attempt to retract the comment, just slamming the door on him.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

He'd gone around to Ron and Hermione's, but they'd been out. Not wanting to sit on the doorstep, and not wanting to let himself in, Harry had found the first club he could and slipped inside. The thumping base made his body thrum, and he used the throbbing to lose himself, ignoring his thoughts and numbing the pain of Draco's comments with shot after burning shot of Don Julio. As oblivion began to look like a viable option, Harry felt a hand on his arm, felt soft hair brush against his shoulder as a kiss was pressed to his cheek. "Harry, how are you?"

"Hey Gin…m'okay…just drinking…"

"Is Draco here?"

To his disgust, Harry felt tears well in his eyes again, and he hated the look of sympathy that passed over Ginny's face as she sat down on the empty stool next to him, motioning for a glass of juice from the bartender. When her drink arrived and Harry had gotten another shot of tequila, Ginny placed a hand on his arm and squeezed softly. "If you want to sit in silence, that's okay as long as I can sit with you. But if you want to talk, I'm here."

Harry nodded, downing his shot and motioning for another, glaring at the bartender as she faltered slightly. He saw Ginny nod slightly, and the bartender shrugged before lining up a few shots to keep Harry amused. He only meant to sit in the company of a friend, but the alcohol had loosened his lips, and as the next shot joined its brothers, his mouth ran away with him. "I'm sick of it Gin. I know…I knew this wouldn't be easy. It's never easy, my life, but Draco just…he makes no effort. We have sex and we share a house but we don’t live together. He doesn’t look at me like I'm the light in his world. We don't talk like we used to, don’t have fun like we used to. Hell, we don’t even have sex like we used to. We used to do all manner of kinky things, couldn't get through a day without touching and kissing, and now it's so…so goddamn mechanical. 

So we fill the time with fighting, about everything from the bills to the brand of coffee we buy. And he just…I'm not asking for a ring, or a picket fence, I just want reassurance that he's going to be there five years from now. Hell, I want reassurance he'll be there five _months_ from now. I want to be his everything; I want his world to stop when I'm not there. I want to know that all those stupid childhood ideals weren't just dreams. I need more than he's giving me, but every time I ask for it I get knocked back."

Harry took a break, downing another shot and breathing deeply, Ginny's gentle squeezing on his arm prompting him to continue. "And I know I'm at fault too, but I can only do so much on my own. I know everyone fights, even Ron and Hermione fight, but it's just…I'm so tired I don't even know what we're fighting about. I walked out and I don't think he even cares. I want a family and a life with someone and he won't be that person so what do I do? Do I leave him, do I settle for second best…what do I do Ginny?"

Harry looked so desolate, so broken as he looked to her for answers, and Ginny thanked the gods and the fates for sending her this chance. She had to be careful, couldn't risk blowing this. Schooling her expression, she reached out and stroked Harry's cheek softly. "You don't do anything in this state. Harry, you're too drunk to do much more than pass out. Come back to mine, it's just around the corner. And in the morning we can talk about your choices, okay?"

Harry would have argued, but when he stood up to illustrate that he was perfectly capable of making his way home, he staggered against the bar and decided to give up the battle before he lost a limb. "Thanks Gin."

Ginny nodded and paid Harry's tab, pulling his arm around her shoulders and sliding her arm around his waist, helping him make the ten minute walk from the club to her flat, staggering along the pavement and coming dangerously close to the traffic at times; black cabs full of others in a similar state to Harry. Ginny's road was always busy, but the view out of her window across the park was beautiful, so she put up with the traffic.

Fumbling her keys, she managed to get Harry into the living room and deposited him on the sofa. Slipping into the kitchen she kept one eye on him as she got what she needed. The potion had been waiting for so long, waiting for the perfect time, and here that time was, practically handed to her on a silver platter. 

It was a blend of three potions; Amortentia to incite lust; Imperium to give her control over Harry; and Redigo to dampen the effects of Harry's natural magic and stop him fighting the other two potions. She poured the concoction into a glass of water, allowing it to settle before adding the final ingredients – a virility potion and a rohypnol pill. She found her own potion and downed it before taking Harry's glass of _"water"_ out to him. "Here, drink this, you'll feel better."

Obediently, Harry raised the glass to his lips and downed it. If he hadn't been so drunk, if the taste of expensive Tequila hadn't lingered in his mouth, he might have noticed the potion lacing every mouthful. As it was, he was drunk, and he was a docile drunk, so he did as he was told and didn’t question it. Ginny sat down next to him and Harry tipped his head back against the sofa, closing his eyes. "I'm such an idiot. I should call Draco and let him know I'm okay."

"You're very drunk Harry, you'll just end up yelling at him. Call him in the morning and sort this out, okay?"

"I miss him."

"You'll be with him soon."

"I love him. I should just settle for what I can get. I don't want to be alone. At least with Draco I'm never alone, even if it's never perfect. I don't want to be on my own Gin."

Ginny smiled, stroking her fingers through Harry's hair softly and cradling him in her arms. "You won't ever be alone Harry, I'll always be here."

Harry mumbled something, and Ginny shifted to look at him. His eyes had a glassy, spaced-out expression in them, and she offered up a silent prayer to the gods before speaking. "Harry, touch your chin with your right hand for me."

His right hand hovered up, swaying gently before pressing against his chin, and Ginny let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Come to bed, Harry."

"Is Draco there?"

Damn…his innate magic was strong. Not strong enough to fight the potions, she'd made sure of that. Nodding softly, she ran a hand over Harry's cheek. "You'll be with Draco again soon, okay?"

He nodded, following her calmly into her bedroom. She so wanted this night to be special and romantic, but there would be time for that later on. Tonight was about one thing and one thing only. "Undress, Harry, and then make love to me."

"And then can I see Draco?"

She nodded, and Harry complied with her commands, his body reacting to her light touch and the potions he was dosed with. Soon…soon he'd be reacting without the potions, but for now they would have to do. She pushed him back onto the bed, stripping her own clothes off quickly before climbing on top of his lithe body. A body like this was wasted on the Slytherin whore, and she would not give up _her_ Harry without a fight. Repeating her command, Ginny set the ball rolling, set her and Harry on the correct course, closing her eyes so as not to see the vacant expression as he followed her commands without meaning them. Soon he would mean them…soon he would be fucking her through choice.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Draco looked at the TV screen without seeing it. He desperately wanted to firecall Hermione and check that Harry was there – he went to Hermione and Ron's when they were fighting – but his Malfoy pride wouldn't allow it. Glancing at the clock and watching the hands click round to three thirty, Draco gave up on waiting for Harry to come home and headed to their bedroom, curling up on his side of the bed and trying to find the peace he needed to sleep, in a bed that was far too large for him alone. 

 

 

_Imperium_ \- power to command, authority, command, rule, control.  
 _Redigo_ \- (redactum) to bring or reduce to a condition, lessen.

Latin Translations found [here](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/Latin/), link courtesy of The_Minx_17


	2. Memory

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Genlisae - Thank you kindly Ma'am ♥  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 2861  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, cameos from any and all others in the HP verse  
 **Warnings** \- Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

 

Harry woke up slowly on Saturday morning, the sunlight that streamed through the curtains piercing through his sleep and assaulting his senses. His head felt like he'd been sat on by a troll, and his mouth must have been stuffed with some form of waste product, that was the only explanation for the hideous taste and dry sensation. His teeth were roughened by plaque as he ran his tongue over them, and when he tried to sit up every bone in his body argued with his decision.

Lying back against the pillows, Harry tried to work out what had happened last night. He remembered the fight, and meeting Ginny at the club. She'd brought him home, but then things went blank. He must have drunk enough to pass out. The flat was blessedly quiet; he knew Ginny worked shifts at the local muggle supermarket so he assumed she'd gone to work already. A quick Tempus told him it was almost midday, and Harry set to getting up.

It took a surprising amount of effort to get up. As he pushed the covers off Harry realised he was naked, and he felt a flush of tightness run through his chest when he saw his clothes neatly folded on the dresser. He didn’t like the knowledge that Ginny knew a disrobing spell, she was like a sister to him and the thought of her having sex was just so wrong. Still, at least it meant his clothes weren't creased, and didn’t smell too bad. He muttered a quick cleansing charm over himself, and a strong breath-freshening charm. Dressing slowly, Harry tried to work out what to do next. He didn’t know, and there was only one person that did. 

Heading out into the living room he moved to the desk and sat down, dipping a quill into the ink pot and pulling a fresh sheet of parchment towards him.

_Ginny,_

_Thank you for last night, I really needed a friend. I'm sorry I offloaded on you in the_  
bar, and that I left you to pick up the tab – I'll make it up to you, I promise! I'm going  
to head round to Hermione and Ron's and talk things through there. I'll speak to you  
soon, we should meet up for a drink under happier circumstances, and I won't get   
totalled and pass out in your bed. Sorry about that, by the way, you should have made  
me sleep on the couch and not given me your bed! 

_I'd better get going, thanks again Gin, you were a friend when I needed one._

_Talk to you later,_

_Harry x_

Checking that he had everything he'd stormed out of his house with the night before, Harry propped the note up on the table next to the front door and let himself out, putting up a few wards and posting the spare door key back through the letter box. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and started off towards Hermione and Ron's, needing the long walk to clear out at least part of his hangover. The sound of traffic zipping down the road grated on his nerves, and he silently wondered how Ginny coped living so close to the traffic. Oh well, each to their own, and it didn’t really concern him, he didn’t have to live there after all.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Hermione set a mug of strong coffee in front of Harry, clinking it against the glass coaster unnecessarily hard, and relishing Harry's wince in a perverse way. "It was irresponsible, Harry!"

"Ginny looked after me!"

"And if Ginny hadn't happened to be there? What would you have done then? Gone home with the first man smart enough to take advantage of you?"

Harry's muttered _maybe_ was supposed to be under his breath, too quiet for Hermione to hear. But she did hear it, and she smacked him around the head. Hard. "Hermione!"

"Well grow up! Start acting like a responsible adult! And leaving Ginny to look out for you – Harry you haven't seen her properly in weeks, and then when you do see her you lean on her for support. Does that not seem a little unfair?"

Harry pouted, "I'd have been leaning on you if you hadn't been out!" which earned him another smack around the head, though Hermione's mouth was curved every so slightly upwards. He shot her an apologetic grin and took a sip of the coffee, feeling the wonder-liquid soothe his ills. "I know me and Ginny have kind of drifted apart, things seemed a little weird for a while but I've been so screwed with Draco that everything has taken on a weird angle. I'll make it up to her, I promise. And I didn't mean to take advantage of her hospitality, but she insisted I go home with her, and then I must have passed out."

Hermione tutted, sitting down with her own mug of coffee and blowing across the surface before taking a sip. "So, what happened with you and Draco?"

"We just fought. Yet again. I don't know Hermione, am I an idiot for wanting something more than what we have?"

Hermione reached out, squeezing Harry's arm softly. "No, you're not. You want to know what I think?"

"That's why I'm here."

"Smart-arse. You and Draco…you were both taken by surprise when you got together at school…"

"Us and the rest of the world!"

"Precisely. And you worked hard to ensure that your relationship succeeded; you got over your differences and forged a niche for yourselves. But now you've got a comfortable life, and neither of you are really making the effort anymore Harry. You want more from Draco, but are you showing him more in return? I don't want to speculate, but I'm pretty sure Lucius didn’t instruct Draco in how to have a meaningful relationship. You want commitment from Draco, am I right?"

Harry nodded, and Hermione squeezed his arm again. "Then show him what he'd be committing to. If Draco is worth all this upset, then he's worth fighting for."

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Harry had spent the weekend at Hermione and Ron's, having fun with his childhood friends and taking moments of silence to work out what he wanted. It was Harry's on-call week, and he'd spent Monday helping Hermione out with errands and entertaining her twins as they scampered around; both having more energy at three than he had at twenty-five. 

With the twins safely in bed, Harry was helping Hermione with dinner when Ron got in from work. He worked in the same department as Draco, and Harry tensed a little when he heard Ron come in, wondering if he would bring news of the blonde. "Harry, Mate, you listening to me?"

"Sorry Ron, I was miles away. What did you say?"

"That Malfoy called in sick today. Caused a right bloody scene as well!"

Harry's eyebrows shot through his hairline, and Ron nodded as he dodged Hermione's shooing hand to snag a roast potato from the serving bowl she was dishing them into. "Yeah, could hear him yelling all down the hall. He got really shirty when McIver asked him what was up with him, and yelled about having chest pains before hanging up the firecall. He looked bloody awful too. Have we got any beers?"

Ron's attention diverted off to something more important to him, and Harry stood staring at the salad he was supposed to be washing. Draco _never_ missed work, for anything. He'd pouted when Harry made him take a week off for a holiday, and spent the entire week reading through the notes he'd smuggled into his case. So to voluntarily pull a sickie? 

Pulling his hands out of the salad, Harry dried them quickly on a tea towel and shot an apologetic smile at Hermione, who just waved her hand as he Disapparated. Ron looked up from his beer, confusion twisting his features. "Where'd Harry go?"

Rolling her eyes, Hermione steered Ron to the table and set the food down with a flick of her wand. Ron thought better on a full stomach.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Harry entered the house silently, wondering why every light was off. He could see the blue light from the TV seeping out of the living room, so he moved to the doorway, watching Draco for a few minutes. The blonde was wearing the pyjama bottoms from the set Harry had bought him at Christmas and a thick green jumper, and he was curled on the sofa staring blankly at the TV while some mindless game-show played. It broke Harry's heart to see Draco looking so desolate, and he stepped into the room slowly, moving to kneel next to the end of the sofa where Draco's head lay. The blonde jolted a little when he noticed Harry, and the familiar mask began to fall before Harry reached out his hand, touching Draco's face gently and stopping the cover-up. "Don't, Draco."

When Draco spoke his voice sounded croaky and thick, as though it hadn't been used since Harry left except to throw curses at his boss. "Don't what?"

"Shut me out. Please, I need to talk to you, and I need you to listen."

Draco nodded, staying quiet as Harry arranged himself into a better position, sitting cross legged so that he was eye-level with Draco. "I'm sorry for fighting with you; I know I've been doing a lot of that lately. But things have to change; I can't keep on like this. Draco, we've fallen into this routine, and I hate it. And you hate it too; I know you do because I can see it in your eyes. We don't talk about problems; we just let them fester until they become arguments. We don't spend time together like we used to, and sometimes I wonder if you even really want to be here anymore and…"

"I do."

Harry fell silent, he hadn’t expected Draco to speak in the middle of his monologue, but his contribution meant more than its length and simplicity could convey. "Good, because I want you here. But I want you here always, Draco. I need something from you; I need the reassurance that loving you, building a life with you, isn’t all going to be taken away from me. I need to talk about problems, not fight about them. I'm not asking for six kids and a picket fence just yet, I just need to know that you'll be there. I spend more time worrying about you not being there than I do enjoying the fact I have you now."

Harry fell silent again, but this was more out of not knowing what else to say than being interrupted. When he looked up Draco was watching him, his eyes calculating as his brain worked over time. Reaching out to stroke a lock of wayward hair behind Harry's ear, he sighed softly and shot a small smile at Harry. "You will have me. I'm not promising you always, Harry, because I'd rather hurt you now than make a promise I might break. But as things are now, I see no reason to ever leave you. But I can't change."

"I'm not asking you to change."

"It feels like you are. These past few weeks, past few months, it's felt like you're expecting me to change, to be something I'm not, and that isn't fair. I'm not saying I'm perfect, and when it comes to our problems I'm probably more at fault than you are, but it takes two of us to fuck a relationship up, and it takes two of us to make it better. You want me to talk problems out? Then you have to give something in return, not just wait for me to change."

"I don't want you to change. I want us to change."

Draco nodded, and a smirk broke out on his face. "You know what needs to change? The crap sex. We've both been atrocious lately!"

Harry snickered, feeling the tension between them lift as they caught gazes and smiled gently. He reached up and tugged lightly at Draco's hair. "How about we start with changing that then? Little steps and all."

"That sounds like a plan."

Grinning, Harry stood up and waited for Draco to turn off the TV and stretch, revealing a flash of stomach that caused two explicit reactions in Harry. One was a shot of arousal making his body tremble, and the second was the stunning realisation they hadn't had sex for almost a fortnight. "You know it's been two weeks since we last had sex?"

"Then why are we still vertical?"

Harry snickered, grabbing Draco's hand and heading up the stairs to their room. Once inside he backed Draco up against the wall and moved to his lips, grunting in disgust when he collided with Draco's hand. "Draco!"

"Where have you been this weekend?"

"Oh…I stayed with Ginny on Friday night, and was at Ron and Hermione's Saturday onwards."

"You went to Ginny's?"

"No, I went to Hermione's but they were out, so I went to get totalled. Ginny found me and gave me a bed for the night."

"Did she try and take advantage of you?"

"Draco, don't be gross."

"Well, she does hold a torch for you."

"And I hold a torch for you."

"Aaah…so it _is_ a torch in your pocket!"

Harry growled, tired of the teasing, and ducked around Draco's hand, latching onto his neck and sucking firmly, stopping only when he got a squeaking moan from Draco. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed having Draco in his arms until he'd gotten him back there, and Harry laved the spot he'd bitten softly, wanting to love Draco, not fuck him.

He pulled off Draco's jumper quickly, and returned his lips to the blonde's neck, sucking and laving and marking Draco as _his_. He kept Draco pinned to the door as he slowly sank to his knees, mouthing the trail of soft blonde hair that started mid-navel and worked down, getting thicker as Harry's mouth reached the low-slung pyjama bottoms. Harry ran his hands up and down Draco's sides, feeling the blonde's flesh goose-bump at the gentle touch, as he placed wet, open-mouthed kisses all over the sensitive skin bordering his pyjamas. 

On the next down stroke of his hands, Harry caught the edge of the bottoms and tugged them down slowly, feeling the displaced air as Draco's erection bobbed free, both of them hissing under their breaths. Keeping his kisses wide and wet, Harry moved past the small nest of curls and trailed up and down Draco's shaft, whimpering at the noises of pleasure that escaped his lover. His hands had moved of their own accord, sliding around Draco's hips and to his firm buttocks, thumbs swiping teasingly along the cleft as Harry lapped up the clear fluid leaking from Draco's slit, descending on the silken shaft slowly, giving his throat time to adjust to the length and thickness invading it.

Draco banged his head back against the wall, his body trembling with pleasure, with the sudden remembrance of how good things could be between them. Harry's fingers were getting closer to his entrance, and the brunette was humming softly around his cock, and Draco was so close, he hated himself for pushing Harry away but he needed to stop it. "Harry…Harry please…"

Harry obliged him, standing back up and pulling Draco into a kiss as he backed them to the bed. Draco's fingers were fumbling his buttons open, and when his calves hit the edge of the bed Harry stopped, helping Draco remove his clothes so that they could tumble naked onto the bed, bodies undulating softly against each other, re-learning curves and contours with soft touches and gentle kisses. 

It was Harry's turn to be sucked deep into Draco's throat and he whimpered under his breath, thrusting his hips upwards, his sensitive head grazing the back of Draco's throat. Gentle hands held his hips firm as Draco worked, slipping lower and lower to finally swallow around Harry's cock, humming and moaning as he drove Harry into a frenzy.

Pulling off, Draco muttered a strong lubrication charm under his breath as he moved up to reclaim Harry's lips, pulling them over until he was lay on his back, Harry nestled between his spread thighs. As fingers trailed down his body, Draco grabbed them and shook his head. "Just do it."

"I'll hurt you."

Draco scoffed, nipping at Harry's bottom lip. "Only a little. Harry please, I can't wait any longer."

Nodding his assent, Harry shifted his position, his hands splayed and framing Draco's head as the blonde nudged his hips up. Harry rocked his hips a little, rubbing the head of his cock against Draco's slick, sensitive entrance, teasing them both before he began pushing in, fighting against the resistance Draco's body offered to slide slowly and firmly into his lover's snug heat. Harry dropped his forehead against Draco's, eyes screwed shut as he tried to focus his breathing. Once he had his body under control he opened his eyes again, falling into Draco's commanding gaze. "I love you."

"Love you too."


	3. Sacred

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Genlisae - Thank you kindly Ma'am ♥  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 2861  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, cameos from any and all others in the HP verse  
 **Warnings** \- Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

 

Draco bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste blood as Harry knocked over the chilli powder and covered the work-top in the potent dust. Taking a deep breath he bit back on the desire to snark. Ever since their heart-to-heart almost three months back, they'd been getting on much better. If Draco took the time not to snark, Harry took the time to think through his actions.

The relationship wasn't perfect – what relationship is? – but it was functioning, and they were happy. They could both remember why they'd started this thing between them, and the conscious choice on both their parts to fight for what they'd had, and could still have, had been a massive turning point.

Of course, none of this meant that they didn’t have the occasional spat, but that was okay. What was not okay, however, was Harry helping in the kitchen. What he could cook, Harry could cook well. But what he couldn’t cook he cooked disastrously, and Draco shot his hand out to stop Harry adding chilli powder to the bread mix. "Harry, love, chilli doesn’t go in the bread. You want the yeast powder; two jars along on the shelf."

Harry snickered and set the chilli powder down, grabbing Draco and whirling the blonde against the cupboards, uncaring of the flour all over his lover's apron as he pressed in and rubbed his nose against Draco's. "Draco, love, I appreciate the effort, but I like your snarkiness sometimes. If I'm being an idiot it's okay to tell me. It’s only the unwarranted snarkiness I don't like."

For effect, Harry rolled his hips against Draco's to prove that he liked snarkiness, and his boyfriend moaned appreciatively, his wrists flexing as Harry pinned them above his head. "What happened to being nice to each other?"

"We should be very nice to each other. But a little snark is good too. It means I get to punish you."

"Depraved."

"Of course."

Draco smiled, leaning forwards to capture Harry's lips in a kiss, flicking his tongue against the other man's lips to gain access to the warm caverns of his mouth. Harry tasted of dough, and Draco pulled away from the kiss with a pout. "Harry, what have I told you about eating raw bread mix?"

"It tastes good."

"It's not good for you!"

Harry pouted and hung his head, looking up at Draco through thick black eyelashes. "I'm sorry Draco, I know I'm bad. Maybe if you punished me I'd learn to be good."

That was the trigger, and Draco growled as he broke his hands free of Harry's grip. "Bedroom, now."

As they turned to leave, the doorbell rang, and both men swore under their breath. "Leave it."

"Draco, we have to pass the front door to get to the bedroom, they'll see us through the glass."

"We'll just have to have sex here then."

Harry nodded excitedly, pulling Draco into a kiss and reaching a hand between them to fumble at the blonde's belt. "Want you…in me…today…"

Draco nodded, helping Harry with their belts. As he got Harry's jeans undone and thrust his hand inside the doorbell rang again and again. Swearing, Harry pulled away and stuck his head through the kitchen doorway. "Oh fuck, it's Ginny."

"So? You haven’t seen her since you passed out in her flat; she can wait one more day."

"I know but she's…Draco she's ignored a few of my calls. And I'm not exactly raring to go anymore. Five minutes, then I'll kick her out."

Draco pouted, but waved his hand to Harry, doing up his clothes as the brunette went to answer the door.

"Ginny, hey! We're in the kitchen, come on in."

Draco plastered a smile on his face as Harry re-entered the kitchen with the Weaslette in tow. He bit back a nasty comment as he saw the slight swell of her stomach, obvious in the tight blouse and jeans she war. He scoffed internally; tight clothes when you're carrying a few extra pounds is just the kind of fashion mistake a Weasley would make. But still; Harry had been worried by the ignored phone-calls, so Draco played nice. "Hello Ginny, would you like a cup of coffee?"

"No, thank you. I just came to talk to Harry."

There was silence, and Draco looked at Harry in confusion, who looked at Ginny expectantly. "Gin?"

"We should talk in private."

"Draco's my boyfriend Gin; I'm only going to tell him after the fact. What's up?"

"I'm pregnant."

Draco gasped, and Harry moved immediately to Ginny's side. "Oh Gin that's great news, have you told…"

"It's yours."

As quickly as he'd moved to her side, Harry stepped back, looking at Ginny like she'd grown an extra head. "Ginny…that isn’t funny…"

"I'm well aware it isn’t funny. But it's the truth. I got one of your shirts from Hermione and Ron's, and the Healers found enough residual magic on it to do a paternity test. And it was positive. I have an appointment with the Maternity Healers next Monday at eleven; you should come and they can do another paternity test if you don't believe me."

The glass Draco was holding shattered in his grip, and he spoke through gritted teeth. "This is bullshit. When would Harry have slept with you? He's gay, Ginny!"

She turned to Draco, letting tears well in her eyes. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't' know that I was a pity-fuck because you'd kicked him out? You think I don't regret letting the drink dull my wits? I didn't fucking plan this, okay? This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Silence reigned in the kitchen, and the atmosphere could have been cut with a knife. Ginny looked up at Harry, careful to keep her expression neutral. "Look, you and Draco have to talk. I…I'm not lying Harry. I should have stopped it, but I'd had a lot to drink too that night. This is your child, and I need to know soon if you want to be a part of its life. Because I don’t know that I can manage on my own, and time is running out. I'll see myself out."

Long after the door has clicked closed, Harry and Draco were stood in the same positions in silence. Finally. Draco got his wits back. "I don’t know what her game is, but you can't fall for it."

"Draco…"

"She's obviously still obsessed with you and…"

"Draco…"

"…this is some strange game to try and split us up and…"

"DRACO!"

Draco fell silent, tears welling in his eyes as he looked at Harry. "No."

"Draco, she wouldn’t make something like that up, okay. She just wouldn't."

"How do you know? She's always been obsessed with you!"

"Draco she wouldn’t make something like this up."

Draco saw the honesty in Harry's eyes and felt tears well up in his eyes. "So you slept with her? You fucked her, and then came back to me? Fucking EVERYTHING has been a lie?"

Tears welled in his own eyes as Harry took a step to Draco and the blonde backed away, smacking into the cupboards and looking at Harry as though he were alien. "Draco, nothing was a lie. I love you, I love you and…"

"And you slept with Ginny?"

Running a hand through his hair, Harry screwed his eyes up and tried to remember something, anything from that night. "I don't…Draco I don’t remember it, and I _know_ I wouldn’t have set out to do that. But she wouldn’t make something like this up. Draco…baby I'm sorry."

Draco shook his head, tears spilling down his cheeks. "Everything…everything you've said, everything you've done for the last three months means nothing. You fucked her, and then you came back to me."

"Draco please…"

"NO! You don't…you don’t get to fuck her and come back to me! I'm not doing this, I'm not sharing you with her or being second best it's not fair. How could you…how the hell could you betray me like that?!"

Harry's own tears were falling thick and fast, and he didn't dare step any closer to Draco for fear of what he might do. "Draco…I'll take the test again…it might have been wrong…Draco she might be wrong but if she isn't…Draco that's my child and I can't…"

"Can't what? You told me you can’t live without me! Can't be without me! Can't imagine life without me! But that was all a lie huh? What was I, a stop-gap before you found a nice girl to give you kids? A bit of fun?"

"No! Draco no you weren't baby but…"

"But I'm not enough, and you had to fuck Ginny. Well off you go then!"

"Draco"

"GO! GO JUST GO JUST FUCKING GO!"

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Draco walked slowly up the stairs and found Harry packing a suitcase. He felt his heart tear a little further, and lost his resolve to kick Harry out. "Please…Harry please don’t leave me."

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Harry shook his head as if to clear it, tossing another pair of socks in the case. "Draco, she wouldn't make it up. And Healers are never wrong."

"But…Harry there can't have been much magic on that shirt, it could just be a false positive…"

Harry looked up, catching Draco's eyes and cutting him off. "You really believe that?"

"I…I…"

Sighing, Harry summoned his wash bag in and set it on top of his clothes, closing the case with a click. "Draco, I can't abandon a child that I helped create, however much of a mistake it may have been. I never set out to do this, to hurt you like this, but I can't abandon this child. I love you, I always have and I always will. But I can't love you at the expense of a child Draco, I just can't."

Draco trembled as Harry picked up his case, the brunette leaning forward for a moment before deciding against it and stepping back, stepping away from Draco. "Harry please…"

"I'm sorry."

"You're going to do this? You're going to choose Ginny over me?"

Harry shook his head, trying to hold himself together. "No, Draco, I'm choosing my child over you. You've made the two things mutually exclusive, not me. I'm sorry."

There was nothing Draco could do but listen as the love of his life walked down the stairs and out of the front door. When all he could hear was silence, Draco curled in on himself and wept.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Hermione had just got the twins in bed when the doorbell rang. She opened it with a smile on her face that fell off as soon as she saw Harry. Her friend looked up at her forlornly for a moment before bursting into tears. For a split-second she just looked at him in shock as he stood on her doorstep and cried. Then her brain kicked into gear and she banished his bag to the Guest Room, pulling Harry into her arms and holding him as he sobbed on her shoulder.

When he finally calmed down, Hermione led him into the lounge and sat down next to him. "Harry, sweetheart what's happened? Have you and Draco fought?"

"It's over."

"Oh baby, I know it feels like that, but I'm sure it isn't."

"Hermione, it is. We can’t go back from this."

"What happened?"

"I got Ginny pregnant."

Unfortunately, that was the moment Ron walked into the lounge, and Hermione wasn't quick enough to get in the way before the punches started flying. A quick stinging hex got Ron off Harry, and a healing charm sorted out Harry's broken nose. "Ronald!"

"That...he…fucking…"

"LANGUAGE!"

Ron fell silent, and Hermione gestured to the kitchen. "Move it. I want to know exactly what is going on Harry James Potter, and if your excuse isn’t damn good I won’t hold Ron back again."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

When Harry stopped speaking his voice was strained and scratchy with overuse. Hermione had kept quiet, letting him talk and holding Ron back. Harry looked up at his friend and tried to make him understand. "Ron I didn't…I didn't set out for any of this to happen. I didn't mean to screw everything up so badly."

Harry lost himself to tears again, and Hermione moved round the table to wrap her arms around him, cradling him while he got this bout of tears under control. She looked up at Ron, who shrugged softly before addressing Harry. "And what are you going to do now?"

Lifting his head, Harry met Ron's gaze head on, trying to convey his honesty through his eyes as well as his words. "Stand by her. It's my child, and I'll do whatever I can to make this easy on her. She's still my friend Ron, and I won’t abandon her. I'll go and see her tomorrow, explain that I'll be there for whatever she needs. I won't abandon her, or the child."

"So all of a sudden you're not gay?"

"No, Ron I…I'm only going to be there as a friend. I love her, but I'm not in love with her."

"No, you're in love with Draco. And you betrayed him drunkenly with my sister, and now she's pregnant, and stuck in the middle of this mess. You've really outdone yourself Harry."

"I'm sorry."

"Not me you should be apologising to."

Shaking his head, Ron stood up and headed up the stairs to answer the cries of one of his kids, leaving Hermione to deal with Harry and the total clusterfuck the brunette had brought down around him. He couldn’t believe Harry would sleep with Ginny, and he didn’t believe she'd make something like that up, however many feelings she harboured for him. Try as he might, Ron couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that settled around his heart.


	4. Hope

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Genlisae - Thank you kindly Ma'am ♥  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 2551  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, cameos from any and all others in the HP verse  
 **Warnings** \- Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

 

 

Harry took a deep breath, the sound of traffic speeding down the road dulling to insignificance as he studied the door in front of him. This had to be done, and he opened the door quickly before he could lose his nerve. 

Heading to the lifts, Harry hit the button for the first floor and rode up in silence, collecting his nerves as the lift binged and he stepped out onto Ginny's corridor. He walked the short distance to her door and knocked softly, hearing a muffled bang and a stream of curse-words that could only be from a Weasley. The door opened and Harry smiled as Ginny spoke. "What do you…oh, it's you."

"Yeah, it's me. Can I…uh…can we talk?"

Ginny worked hard to keep her expression neutral and placid; no good giving the game up now after all her hard work. "Yeah, come on in."

She stepped back to allow Harry to enter the flat, closing the door behind him and allowing herself one fleeting smile of maniacal glee before she turned to face him. "You want a drink?"

"Coffee would be good."

"I don't have any. Figured it was better to remove the temptation completely."

Harry nodded, and tried to work out how to explain things. It seemed like an impossible task, and he was aware that the silence had stretched on far too long. It was Ginny's voice that broke it, sadness lying heavy on her voice. "You don't want it."

"No! I mean…yes…I…"

Harry looked up, seeing Ginny properly for the first time in a long time. She was so small, petite and delicate, huddled in on herself and arms crossed protectively across the faint bump. In that moment he'd never wanted anything as much as he wanted to be able to love Ginny like she deserved. "I…will you sit with me?"

Ginny was careful to keep a good amount of space between her and Harry, to maintain appearances, and she curled her legs up under her body as she waited for the object of her desires to speak. The silence seemed to stretch forever, and much as Ginny wanted to be the one to break it, she'd put too much into this to blow it now.

Running a hand through his hair, Harry turned his body to face Ginny and spoke softly. "You've always been a friend Ginny, and you were there for me that night just like you'd been there before. I took advantage of you; we may have both been drunk but I should have stopped myself. I betrayed you and I betrayed Draco, and that is unforgivable. But we created a child, and however messed up the circumstances, that is a good thing. I want to be a part of that child's life. I want to be there to support him or her, and to support you through this. I want this baby."

"And if I don't want it?"

She saw the pain that lanced through Harry's features; she'd known that implication would hurt him. Harry's childhood ensured that he'd do everything in his power to give this child a perfect life. And, by default, her too. She focused her attention when his expression covered, and he answered her. "It's your body Gin, I can't make the decisions. But if you decide to have it, you won't be alone."

She waited the appropriate amount of time before smiling slightly. "I couldn't do anything else. I thought at first…but this is a part of me. I can't walk away from this."

His smile was so bright, so perfectly happy, that she felt herself fall in love all over again. "Oh Ginny!"

As much as it killed her, she leant back as he moved to hug her, hating herself for the look of confusion on his face. "Harry, I know I was drunk too, but I need to know where you and me stand. And Draco; shouldn't he be privy to this conversation?"

"Draco…" Harry's voice trailed off for a minute and Ginny swore she'd kill the blonde whore for making Harry look so upset "…we've called it a day."

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not…I'm not being responsible for the two of you splitting up. I'm not being the other woman I'm not…"

She let her voice trail off under false tears, and didn't back away when he moved to hug her this time. It was almost scary how easy this was. "Ginny, it isn’t like that. But Draco…I don't think he'll be able to forgive me for this. I love him, but not at the expense of a child. It…things are fucked up. Maybe one day they'll heal over, but I doubt it. Ginny…I'm not going to be some guy that gets a girl in a difficult position and runs away. I meant what I said, I want to be a part of this child's life; as big a part as you'll give me."

"At the expense of your boyfriend?"

Harry blinked quickly, trying to stem the tears that always came when he thought about Draco now. "Believe me, if I could have both I would. But I can't; I have to choose, and I've made my choice."

Those were the words she'd been waiting to hear, and it took everything she had not to lose control and dance with joy. Luckily, her silence could be put down to thinking, and Ginny took advantage of that while she composed herself. "So you and me?"

"Can we do this as friends? Ginny…I know I'm the guilty party here, and you're walking evidence of my mixed messages, but I can't be anything else for you. I'm gay and I don't…"

"Harry, I don't expect anything more. I can't be the other woman, and I know how you feel about Draco. Maybe one day the two of you will work things out, but until then I'm here, okay?"

Harry felt the tears welling again, and laughed embarrassedly as he was pulled into Ginny's arms. "Oh Gin…I'm so sorry…should be me being there for you…"

"We'll be there for each other."

"I'm so sorry Ginny…I've messed up so badly…I'm so sorry…"

"Hush, it'll be alright. Draco will come around, and the three of us will work something out."

Holding him while he sobbed, she knew Draco would never come around. Which just made her job even easier. She'd already decided to give Harry two months to fall in love with her of his own accord, and then she'd resort to the potion. After all, it was best not to tempt fate and have Draco decide he wanted to play Daddy. That would ruin everything she'd worked for, and that was unacceptable. And if Draco came around before Harry's two months were up, well…she'd just have to remove Draco from the equation.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Harry woke up to sun streaming in through the window, and he reached out a hand to grope Draco. The cool sheets that met his fist jolted him to full wakefulness, and Harry felt the crushing disappointment that left him at night for dreams of Draco, return full force. 

He'd been living with Ginny for a little over a week, and spent a lot of time pining for Draco. But the blonde had made it clear that he didn't want anything to do with the mess Harry had gotten himself into. So he put on a brave face; talked about baby clothes and moving to a bigger house with Ginny, accepted congratulations from the Weasleys, and dodged reporters that followed him everywhere, demanding to know how exactly the Golden Couple had gotten into such a state that sex with a female was a preferable option.

Swinging his legs out of bed, Harry stifled a yawn and got up, padding into the kitchen and putting some tea on, having bought decaffeinated tea-bags at the store just the other day. He prepared breakfast for Ginny, opening the window when the post owl knocked and taking the rolled up Prophet. Yet again, the front page was dedicated to his impending fatherhood, his _illicit love affair_ , his _jealous and vengeful ex_ and the _scandal of the century_. Harry laughed mirthlessly; there hadn't been this many front pages when he'd defeated Voldemort.

Turning back to the toaster, Harry caught sight of the calendar and smiled softly. Today they were going for the first proper scan. Even with everything else going on, even with the fact that Ginny had never been on his list of potential mothers, today was the day he'd get to see his child, and that was a feeling that cancelled out all else. A genuine smile on his face, he was about to take the breakfast in to Ginny when he heard her door open, turning in time to see her bolt into the bathroom.

Ginny crouched down and retched into the toilet, gagging and spitting as wave after wave of nausea. She cursed internally; there must have been a better way than this. As another wave of nausea had her spitting up the contents of her stomach, Ginny began to doubt the temerity of this plan. But then strong arms wrapped around her waist, a gentle hand sweeping her hair back and Harry's voice murmuring assurances, and all doubt was gone. She would put up with anything to make Harry hers. "Morning."

"Morning Ginny. You done?"

"Think so."

Harry laughed and helped Ginny up, flushing the toilet and handing her the glass of water. "Here, rinse and repeat, and then I've made you breakfast," Ginny paled, but Harry shook his head. "No, Gin, you have to eat. It's just some toast and tea, exactly how you like it. Just a slice, for me?"

He cocked his head to one side, a pleading puppy-dog look on his face, and Ginny felt herself melt. A smile from her had Harry's face lit up, and he was bounding out to finish the breakfast. As Ginny watched him leave, she wondered if she could really wait two months. Maybe six weeks would be a better time frame…

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Harry twisted his fingers, waiting impatiently for their turn with the Maternity Healer. Finally, Ginny's name was called, and she held her hand out to Harry. He took it, hating the soft smile it elicited. On top of all his other worries, he was worried about sending mixed signals. He remembered Ron saying that Hermione's sex drive went through the roof in the second trimester (a fact he _hadn't_ needed to know) and Harry was worried that Ginny would expect that off him. He must have been completely wrecked when they fucked, because the thought of touching her, or any woman, made him feel decidedly ill.

He stepped into the little exam room and smiled at the Healer; a plump, matronly-looking woman who exuded the same vibes as Mrs Weasley. In an instant he trusted this woman to guide them through the pregnancy, and felt a little calmer as he took a chair next to the small bed, listening to the Healer begin to speak. "Miss Weasley, I'm glad that things are going fine. And this is the father?"

Harry nodded and extended his hand. "Harry Potter, Ma'am."

"Pleasure. I'm Maternity Healer Hestia Young, but you can call me Hessie. Now, I hope you're aware of the massive undertaking a child is?"

Harry nodded, earning himself a warm smile. "Good. Then, shall we have a look at the little one?"

Directing Ginny to lie down, Hessie murmured a spell, her wand dancing just above Ginny's abdomen. Harry watched in awe as a spin of grey smoke appeared, like a memory from a pensieve, taking the form of their unborn child. It was so small, barely three inches long. Harry couldn't get over how tiny, but how perfectly formed the little creature was, and he swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Can…can you tell what the sex is?"

"If you both want to know, I can."

Harry looked up at Ginny, trying to keep his expression neutral and not force her decision. "What do you think, Ginny?"

"If you want to know?"

Harry nodded, and the spell was performed, the smoke taking on a pink hue. Hessie smiled softly. "Congratulations, you're having a girl."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

They'd sent owls out everyone they knew, and Harry grinned widely as he sent Hedwig off with the last one. Ginny was sat on the sofa flicking through a magazine, and he watched her for a moment. He may not have loved her or desired her, but as the mother of his child he felt a sense of protective compassion. "Fancy a cup of tea?"

"I could murder an espresso. But I suppose tea will do."

Smiling, Harry filled the kettle and set it to boil, rooting around for clean cups and tea bags. He'd have to wash up; every plate in the house was balanced precariously in the sink. Opening the fridge, he groaned softly. "Damn. Ginny we're out of milk, I'm going to nip to the newsagents, you want anything?"

"I'll go, it's okay."

Harry grabbed his keys and some change. "No, Gin, you should rest. Want me to bring back some sweets?"

Shooting him a glare learned off her mother to keep men in check, Ginny stood up and stretched. "Harry, in my third trimester I'm going to be the size of a damn house and unable to do anything for myself. It's only down the road; let me enjoy my freedom while I have it."

"You shouldn’t have to do it, that's what I'm here for."

"You want to help me; do the washing up. I'll be fine, don't fuss so much. Mum's coming at the weekend; Merlin knows she'll fuss the both of us to death. Please?"

Harry nodded, handing Ginny the change and grinning at her. She waved, grabbing her keys and heading out of the flat. Flicking the kettle off, Harry pulled the washing up out of the sink and started the taps running, squirting up washing up liquid and swishing it around. He couldn’t help the goofy smile on his face, brought about by the memory of his child formed in smoke. He was going to be father to a little girl, and Harry knew he would spoil her rotten. 

As he reached for the first plate, Harry heard the squeal of tyres. Dread gripping his heart, he ran over to the window, looking down to the road in time to see Ginny's body fly into the air and land in a crumpled heap almost twenty feet away, near the railings that bordered the park. The black Audi sped off, and Harry screamed, Apparating to Ginny without a thought to the muggles. 

Dropping to his knees by her body, he shook his head as trembling hands tried to find a pulse, sliding through the blood that was pouring out of a head wound. Finally he found a pulse point, barely aware of the crowd of people that had gathered, calling for an ambulance. Pressing against the pulse point, Harry let out a choked sob as he found nothing, no sigh of life. Ginny was dead, and with her his daughter.

Ignorant of the crowd, Harry collapsed, burying his face in the jumper covering her abdomen – covering his daughter – and screamed.


	5. Ideals

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Genlisae - Thank you kindly Ma'am ♥  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 1678  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, cameos from any and all others in the HP verse  
 **Warnings** \- Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

 

 

Hermione knocked softly on the door to the guest room, but knew better than to expect a response. In the week since Ginny had…well, since Harry had moved to stay with them, he hadn't spoken a word. The food she brought went uneaten, and she'd poured every cup of tea down the drain, stone cold. But today she had to speak with him, and crossed over to the bed slowly. 

He was lay curled up on his side, staring at the wall without seeing it, his eyes dead and unseeing. It was killing her to see him like this; she couldn't begin to imagine the pain of losing a child and a friend in one fell swoop. Sitting down gingerly on the bed she reached out a hand and stroked Harry's hair out of his eyes. 

They'd received the call from the hospital, and had to go over there. She'd never forget the sight of Harry sat in the darkened room, covered in blood and crying quietly. Even when the war had been at its bleakest, he'd never looked like that. And he hadn't spoken. They'd brought him home and changed him into some pyjamas, and that was the last time he'd moved. Hermione was worried, and she knew that worry was leeching into her voice as she spoke. "Harry, you need to get up now. You need to shower and eat something, tomorrow is going to be a difficult day."

There was no response, and Hermione sighed softly, moving to curl up behind Harry and pulling him into her arms. He stayed rigid, and she tried not to let that hurt too much. "I know it hurts Harry, but you have to be strong, and get through tomorrow. You won't be alone, we'll all be there. Just please, try to be strong for this."

There was no response, but Hermione relaxed as Harry pressed back against her and went lax in her arms.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Draco sat curled up in a jumper Harry had forgotten, watching the news without really seeing it. Four weeks ago his life had been perfect, and now everything was lost. In four weeks he'd been betrayed and lost his lover, and his lover had lost his child and friend. Draco had been so hurt and angry, and he still was. But he knew Harry, and he knew that the brunette would never have abandoned the responsibility of a child for Draco. And really, Draco shouldn’t have asked. But he had done, and maybe if he hadn't, Ginny would have moved in with them, and she'd still be alive.

Scoffing, Draco summoned over the firewhiskey and topped up his glass. After all the times he'd wished the Weaslette dead, especially over the past three weeks, to be wishing her alive was comical in it's audacity. But he knew Harry, and he knew the loss of the child would be tearing him up inside. As nothing more than the host, Draco wished Ginny alive. 

Downing his whiskey, Draco meandered to his bedroom and collapsed on the bed, the sheets unchanged since Harry had left so he could kid himself that he could still smell the brunette on them. As he got into a comfortable position, Draco's gaze rested on the formal suit hanging up. He had no idea how welcome he'd be, but he had to be there for the man he loved, no matter how bad things had become.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

_"We are gathered her today to mourn the passing of Ginerva Molly Weasley…"_

Harry barely heard the words that were spoken. He was a thousand miles away, playing with his daughter in a lush green park. She had long, curly black hair and a smile that made his heart melt. Her eyes, though, stole his soul, deep and expressive and such a clear grey…

_"Taken from this earth far too soon, her child's life gone with hers…"_

Harry gasped, accepting the pat of condolence even as his gut twisted. This was Ginny's funeral, he couldn't just fantasise about the perfect family life with Draco superimposed over Ginny. But that was the truth. He mourned mostly for his child, not for the friend who had become distant since school, and who he couldn’t imagine lusting after, much less actually touching.

_"A kind, loving woman, a passionate friend and loyal daughter…"_

That was the truth of it. That was what he'd truly wanted; for Ginny to have the child and then leave him alone with Draco. To let him be a family with the man he loved, not this shambles of a thing that, if he were honest, was what their relationship had become and would have stayed. And it killed him inside, to know he'd crumpled in the street and screamed for his child, but the reality of Ginny being dead hadn't even affected him until long after the tears had ran out. 

_"Fought against the Dark valiantly with her friends…"_

So he went through the motions, accepting the condolences and the handshakes, supporting the Weasleys in their grief. It was all becoming too much, and Harry slipped away, heading away from the grave to a small alcove meant for the grieving. He stepped inside, needing to hide from the world, but stopped short when his eyes fell on the single occupant.

"Harry, I'm so…"

That was all it took to break Harry, to destroy all that had been holding him together for the past week. "Don't you fucking **dare** tell me you are sorry! Don't you dare!"

Draco raised his hands in defeat, standing up but keeping a distance between him and Harry. The Gryffindor seemed to have run out of words, and Draco chanced speaking. "How are you holding up?"

"How do you think?"

"Right, yeah. Harry, I am sorry."

"No, you aren't. You'll have been wishing them both dead ever since I left you."

The gaze was so piercing that he couldn't lie, couldn't shield his own flaws from Harry. "Not the baby."

"They're one and the fucking same! You have no right to be here! You have no right to come and tell me you're sorry in that false way and think that I'll just be okay with it! My daughter! Draco my fucking daughter! I don't…I'll never be okay! My daughter…everything is so fucked up and you're glad they're dead so just don't…"

Draco felt his own tears spill over his lashes, and he stepped forward, ignoring Harry's whimper and the raised arms, just scooping the Gryffindor against him and holding onto him. "I'm sorry you're hurting so much."

"…let go of me…"

Draco shook his head at Harry's whispered protest, moving them to the bench and sitting down, cradling Harry and whispering into his hair, "I'm sorry."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

"I had all these grand plans. Ideals, desires. Everything changed in a split second, and now it's all changed again. It was only two weeks; only two weeks of knowing that she was mine, but that was all it took. And now everything I planned counts for nothing. I should have saved Ginny."

"There was nothing you could have done."

"There should have been."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Hermione walked slowly, arms wrapped around her body as she tried to keep out the chill that had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the place. She'd been to so many funerals after the war, believed for a long time she'd be going to Harry's to. But then he'd woken up, and things had started to get good again. It was unfair; they shouldn't have to be going to funerals again, not for their friends. 

She needed to find Harry and take him home. He'd been miles away during the funeral, and she'd wondered if he even knew Draco had slipped in at the back. Heading to the secluded alcove she'd sought solace in many times immediately after the war, Hermione stepped up and stopped as she saw Harry. He was sat next to Draco, and he'd obviously been crying, but now he looked lost in memories. 

Neither man was speaking, but their hands were linked, fingers laced together like before… _like they should be_ her subconscious kicked up…and Hermione felt she was intruding on something deeply private when she cleared her throat. "Harry? The car is here."

Harry looked up at Hermione's voice and nodded softly. He watched as Ron walked up behind her, an arm wrapping supportively around her. His friend looked awful, and Harry realised that Ron's grief was for his sister. 

Draco stood up, using his free hand to propel Harry up and towards his friends. He met Ron's eyes and nodded softly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

Harry paid no attention to the light conversation Draco, Ron and Hermione engaged in. It was only meaningless platitudes anyway. Harry knew that he shouldn't be here; he wasn't grieving for Ginny, and this was her funeral. The twisting got a little tighter, and suddenly he had to get out of there. Looking up, he met Hermione's eyes and tried to make her understand. She must have done, because she cleared her throat softly. "The car is waiting."

Draco couldn't bear to watch Harry walk away from him, and he spoke up, reaching his hand out to Harry's arm. "Harry, I…"

The brunette shrugged him off, head lowered and not meeting eyes that were full of hurt. "We have to go. The car is waiting."

Ron shot a look at his wife before he set off after Harry, and Hermione turned to Draco. She'd never seen the blonde look as defeated as he did now. Reaching out to him, she tried for a smile. "Thank you for being here, it means a lot to us."

She didn’t get a response, but she hadn't really expected one. Harry and Draco were something she couldn't fix, something that maybe even they themselves couldn't fix. Another attempt at a smile, and Hermione walked away, leaving Draco to his broken heart as he watched the man he loved leave without him.


	6. Full

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Genlisae - Thank you kindly Ma'am ♥  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 2300  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, cameos from any and all others in the HP verse  
 **Warnings** -Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

 

Draco walked listlessly through the halls of the Ministry, his work for the day finished, but not wanting to go home. He ended up near Harry's office; the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts having been moved from the grotty little cupboard to an open plan office, large and airy, where Harry headed a team of two wizards and two witches. 

Moving to the brunette's desk, Draco ran his fingers along the shiny wood and smiled softly. He'd spent so much time in here, just talking to Harry in between little jobs, laughing and planning their evenings. Even just walking down the hall, he'd always looked in, either catching Harry's eye and smiling or just checking that his lover was okay. 

Except, Harry wasn't okay anymore. It had been a month since Ginny died, three painful weeks since Harry had begun to open up in the graveyard, only to walk away from Draco without looking back. 

Draco knew, rationally, that he should be angry at Harry. He should hate the brunette for cheating on him, for getting a girl pregnant. Ginny Weasley no less, the girl that had always harboured secret desires for Harry, and Harry had always maintained he had no feelings for. And he'd slept with her, and gotten her pregnant, and left Draco for her.

But, Draco found he couldn't maintain the hate that he'd assumed he'd feel if Harry ever cheated on him. This was wrong, so very wrong, and Draco could not hate Harry. Deep down, even as he'd delivered the ultimatum, he'd known Harry would not choose him. Harry's upbringing, the path his life had taken, and his morals all fell together to make him an incredible man; kind and sweet and honest and responsible. He'd known Harry wanted children, he'd just assumed that Harry wanted children with _him_ ; that the brunette would ask and they would adopt, or use a surrogate, or ask Severus to make the male fertility potion.

And one part, one tiny, selfish, grasping, hateful part of him, had wished Ginny dead; wished her away so that Harry would return, bringing the child with him, and they could be a family together like it was meant to be, like he'd always assumed they would be. He hadn't wanted this though, and Draco reached up to wipe away the stray tears as he heard a floorboard creak. Certain that he wouldn't embarrass himself, Draco turned around and saw Ron. "I thought you'd left already?"

Ron shrugged, stepping into the office and crossing to Wilkinson's desk, dropping the file on it. He'd started back at work that morning, needing to get back into the swing of normal life. He was pretty certain Draco had been avoiding him, and he couldn't say he blamed the blonde. "I've got a mountain of paperwork to get through. I'm going home now though."

Draco nodded, and Ron paused at the doorway to the office. "You could come round. It's been ages since we all caught up."

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Harry would want to see you."

Draco shook his head, expecting Ron to leave and surprised when a hand rested on his arm. "Normal was the four of us sitting down to eat dinner and one of the kids kicking off, demanding stories off you and Harry before they'd give us peace. I want normal again."

Wondering exactly how he'd changed from someone that hated Ron's guts to someone who cared about him, and wondering if that would have to change now he and Harry were no more, Draco nodded softly. The smile he got held more than simple pleasure at Draco saying yes, and he wondered exactly what had happened in the time since the funeral to make Ron so pleased to see him. Shaking his head to clear the meandering thoughts, Draco followed Ron to the floo point.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Hermione looked up from the meal as she heard two sets of steps enter the kitchen, assuming Harry was done putting the kids to bed. He'd thrown himself into caring for her children, so much so that she wondered if it was healthy, but it was the only time that he looked alive; the rest of the time Harry simply shut down. Turning around, her mouth dropped open as Draco stepped into the kitchen. 

As she opened her mouth to greet him, Harry walked in, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Draco. For a brief second his whole face lit up, his eyes more full of life than Hermione had seen them since he'd shown up on her doorstep two months ago and admitted to the mistakes he'd made. But then Harry closed off, and Hermione's heart broke as she realised that neither her nor Ron was going to be able to help Harry through this, and he was cutting off from the only person that could.

Harry was shocked to see Draco, and he soon beat down his elation at the blonde's presence. "Hi."

"Hi, Harry. How…how are you doing?"

"Okay. You?"

Draco nodded, and the silence was painful until Hermione broke it, levitating dishes to the table, her voice falsely bright. "Kids go down okay?"

Taking his seat, Harry accepted the food on his plate, knowing it was better to let Hermione fill his plate than argue that everything tasted like ashes. "Yeah, a few stories and they were both asleep."

Beyond that, Harry kept out of the conversation, trying to just eat a sufficient amount to please Hermione and find a good place to excuse himself at. The longer he listened to the superficial conversation, the stronger the need to throw himself at Draco's feet and beg forgiveness got. Luckily he was given reprieve in the form of Luke wandering down the stairs. "Dwaco!"

Draco didn't even protest, just smiled and scooped Luke up, heading back up the stairs…

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

When he came back downstairs the kitchen was empty, and Draco looked out of the window, spotting Harry sat on the porch alone. Steeling his nerves, Draco opened the back door and walked out onto the porch, moving slowly to sit down by Harry's side. They basked in the warmth of the May evening, watching the sun set slowly on the horizon, each lost in their own thoughts. Draco knew it would be hard, but he had to bridge the gap. Keeping his voice soft and level, Draco opened up the lines of communication. "I am truly sorry for what happened."

He'd half expected Harry to yell, and he was relieved when the brunette's voice came out just as level. "Me too. For everything. I betrayed you, and then I walked out on you. If anyone is in the wrong here it's me."

"You…you did what you had to do. I knew, deep down I knew that you would stand by your child, and I was selfish to ask you to do anything else. I wish I could make this better."

Harry turned to face Draco, meeting his eyes and searching them. "Why? Why are you here Draco? I cheated on you; we fought and I went and got so drunk that I had sex with someone and can't even remember it. I walked out on you for a woman I didn’t love and a child I didn't remember creating."

Looking into Harry's eyes, hearing him list what had gone between them, ripped at Draco like nothing he'd ever imagined. But even though his eyes filled with tears and his instincts screamed to cut his losses and run, Draco stayed sat with Harry, kept holding his gaze. "Yes, you did. And that hurts like I can't explain. But seeing you like this, watching you fall apart, that hurts more."

Harry shook his head, closing his eyes and bowing his head. "I can't just pretend this hasn’t happened."

"Neither can I. Harry, all I'm asking of you is that you let someone in. It doesn’t have to be me, just someone you can talk to. I care about you far too much to sit back and watch you waste away."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Ron reached his arm across Hermione's lap, keeping her sat in place. "Leave them be."

"Ron this isn't…"

"You didn't see Harry's entire face light up when he saw Draco?"

Hermione fell silent, letting her head rest against Ron's shoulder and closing her eyes. "I saw. I don't understand how things went so wrong. I don't understand why you are pushing Harry and Draco back together."

"I lost my sister; I can't lose my best friend as well. He didn't love her, 'mione, not like he loves Draco. And if Draco is the only one that can get Harry through this, then I'll deal with it. Everyone else has someone to lean on for support, except Harry. If Draco can be his support, who are we to get in the way."

Sighing, Hermione swung her legs over Ron's lap and settled in his arms. "You're a good friend. We'll get through this, all of us."

Ignoring the unease in his stomach, the feeling that all had not been discovered about the inexplicable relationship between Harry and Ginny, Ron pressed a kiss to his wife's head. "Yeah, we will."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

When Harry stood up silently and walked back into the house, Draco wondered if that was the last thing he'd ever say to Harry. But the brunette came back, holding out a bottle of beer to Draco and sitting back down. They drank in silence, each lost in his own thoughts, until Harry finally spoke. "I can't fall apart on you, it isn't fair."

"Nothing about this situation is fair. And you have already fallen apart, now you need to heal."

"I'll be fine."

"I'd forgotten how full of shit you are."

Harry whipped his head around and stared at Draco in shock, but the blonde just laughed. "Harry, you could have all your limbs chopped off and you'd insist that it was just a scratch!"

He couldn't stop himself smiling, and it felt nice; to sit and smile with Draco. Tipping his bottle to his lips, Harry swallowed the cool liquid and belched softly, earning himself a glare from Draco. The blonde looked beautiful, and Harry tightened his grip on his bottle to stop himself reaching out and touching Draco. "Draco…I don't see how things will ever be okay between us?"

Downing the last of his beer, Draco stood up and took Harry's empty bottle, heading over to the recycling bin outside the backdoor and dropping the bottles in. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he walked back over to Harry and held out his hand, not shielding his emotions but letting them shine through to Harry; the good ones and the bad. "I don't know either. But if we don't try they never will be."

Nodding softly, Harry took the offered hand and stood up, walking Draco around the house and down the drive, waving as he set off towards the end of the road and outside of the anti-apparition wards. It hurt more than it had any right to, watching him Disapparate. 

Wandering back into the house, Harry found Ron and Hermione in the kitchen. Snagging a potato off Ron's plate, Harry smiled softly. "Are you not full yet?"

"I'm a growing boy!"

"You're twenty six!"

Ron shrugged, returning to his evening snack while Harry moved to the sink, picking up a dish towel and starting on the pots Hermione had washed. He could tell, from her stance and the set of her jaw, that there was something going on in her mind and he could work out that it was about him. When Ron wandered off upstairs to deal with which ever of the twins had just fallen out of bed, he nudged her gently. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"No, you aren't. What's up?"

Hermione's head dropped, and when Harry tipped her chin up he found soft brown eyes full of tears. "Oh 'mione, what is it?"

Moving into Harry's offered embrace, Hermione shook herself mentally and pulled away. "Just everything Harry. It's everything and nothing, and I don’t want you to worry about me. Just please focus on sorting yourself out."

Harry nodded, pulling Hermione back into his arms and stroking her hair softly. "You know what will be fun? Tomorrow you can take me out and laugh at my poor decorating sense."

"Are we decorating?"

"Well…I've got to start thinking about the future."

Hermione gasped and leant back in Harry's arms. "You're leaving?"

"Well…'mione…you've got your family and…"

" _You're_ my family too!"

"And you're mine. But I can't stay in your guest room forever. I have to get back into the real world. I'm not going anywhere now, but I will be. I won't be far, Hermione."

She nodded, biting down her own feelings to assure Harry. He kissed her goodnight and headed upstairs just as Ron came back down. The redhead she could not hide her feelings from, and Ron sighed softly as he took Harry's vacated place; arms around Hermione. "How come he's been dead inside for a month, and all it takes is Draco coming to dinner to fill him with life again?"

"For the same reason that however much he loves you, Harry will never be able to read your mind like I can."

Hermione sighed, her voice barely audible as she spoke into Ron's chest. "Your mum won't be happy. She still…"

Hermione's voice trailed off, and Ron dropped a kiss to her head. "She still thought Ginny and Harry were friends, and that Ginny hadn't been in a strange mood for months? I know. Can we just…can we just let things happen. We'll deal with things as they come, and not before."


	7. Curious

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Currently unbetad as I got my dates wrong. Mistakes are mine alone  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 3090  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, Severus, Remus, Tonks  
 **Warnings** \- Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

**Author's Second Note** \- I'm sorry this is late, I have no excuse other than idiocy *blushes*

 

 

Draco bumped his shoulder gently against Harry's as they walked, shooting him a soft smile and getting one in return. It'd been almost a month since he'd been for dinner at Ron and Hermione's, and a lot had changed in that time. Harry had moved into a rented apartment halfway between Ron and Hermione's and the house he'd shared with Draco. They'd begun forming a friendship again, keeping things light and superficial, but working at it. Draco had missed having Harry as a constant part of his life, and he enjoyed the time they spent walking round galleries or the park, or catching movies together. It gave him something to live for, something to fill in the gaps between nights when his subconscious filled his dreams with memories of them together. 

Clearing his throat, Draco came to a stop at the entrance to Harry's apartment block. "I had fun today, Harry."

"Me too. I haven't seen a mummy before!"

Draco smiled at Harry's youthful enthusiasm and scuffed his shoe along the concrete. "I'm glad you've gotten to then. We should do the Saatchi Gallery next time; there's some incredible contemporary art there."

Harry's face fell a little, and his eyes dropped to the pavement. "Yeah, you have to go."

Draco wondered if maybe this was an opening. Because the dreams that plagued him at night, remembered touches and slick skin, had been a reality once, and he wanted them to be reality again. Putting on the patented Malfoy smirk, he tipped Harry's chin up with a slender finger. "Well, we need to work out when we're both free to meet up again, and I could murder a coffee."

Smiling, Harry tipped his head to the side. "Well, I can run to instant?"

"I suppose it'll do."

Laughing out loud, Harry turned and keyed in the door code, pushing the door shut behind Draco before leading the way up to his apartment. He headed inside and flicked on the kettle, trusting Draco to explore by himself. 

Draco turned in a slow circle, taking in the small apartment. It looked barely lived in, like it were a stepping stone to better things. He hoped with all his heart that better things included coming home to him. He'd always sworn that cheating would mean a complete cut-off from Harry, but in practice that wasn't the case. He loved Harry, and he was prepared to work hard to make things okay between them. Sure, they'd hit an incredibly rough patch, but with a little work they'd get through this.

"Draco?"

Spinning round, Draco looked at Harry blankly, making the brunette laugh as he held out a coffee cup. "You were miles away then!"

"Sorry, just working out when I've got time off work next."

"Well, the calendar has all my stuff on, so pick a date."

Wandering over to the Cannons calendar on the wall, Draco skimmed over the scrawled notes and spotted a clear box. "I'm free next Wednesday too, we could go then?"

As he turned to see Harry accept, Draco saw the brunette's face darken, and he set his cup down on the counter before stepping forward and resting a hand on Harry's forearm. "Harry?"

"I…uh…have to clean out Ginny's apartment. Molly asked me to do it, because…she just can't face it. No-one could face going and clearing her things. It'd make it real. But it has to be done, and Molly still…she thought that me and Ginny…"

"I know." And he did know. Much as Molly Weasley had put up with him, he'd always got the feeling she viewed him as a stop-gap between Harry and Ginny. Squeezing Harry's arm softly, he waited until the brunette looked up and met his eyes before continuing. "Would you like me to help?"

"I…you don't…"

"I've offered. I meant what I said Harry; whatever happens between us, I don't want to see you in pain."

Harry nodded softly, and Draco bit back on his own emotions to reassure the brunette. "I'll come and pick you up about nine, okay?"

"Thank you."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Narcissa watched her son pace up and down, waiting for him to finally speak rationally, instead of the incoherent ranting he'd been yelling for the past half hour. She wasn't expecting his face to be so stained with tears when he turned to face her. "He slept with her. Why would he even want to? And why do I want him back?"

Standing up slowly, Narcissa moved across the lounge and held open her arms, letting Draco collapse into them and sob on her shoulder. "Draco, why are you putting yourself through this?"

"Because I can't…I can't believe he'd…but he did and I…"

Narcissa knew that was all the sense she would get from her son, so she tightened her arms and held him tightly. "Draco, listen to me. You have always been a smart boy; you read people easily. If you believe, in your heart, that you can forgive Harry and build a relationship with him again, then I support you."

"I can't live without him, and I hate it."

Narcissa could understand that emotion; it had driven her for many years as well. But she had also felt the sharp end of such blind devotion, and would be damned if she let her son feel that kind of pain. Yet, Narcissa didn't…couldn't…believe Harry would hurt her son. It didn't fit into what she knew to be true; that he would sleep with the Weasley chit. Sighing, Narcissa pressed a kiss to Draco's hair and rested her cheek on his head. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the Weasley girl would cause more trouble before this was over with. 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Harry's hand trembled as he put the key in the lock, and he was grateful when Draco's steadying fingers wrapped around his, guiding him in opening the door. They stepped into the silent apartment and closed the door behind them. Harry hadn't been back here since the accident, and he felt his veins flood with ice at the memory of the car hitting Ginny.

Without thinking, he grabbed at Draco's hand tightly, clinging on and grounding himself through the blonde. He let out a shaky breath as Draco squeezed back, and let his eyes slip closed as he worked to keep the memories at bay. When he was sure he could function, Harry opened his eyes and nodded softly at Draco, letting go of his hand.

They started with the living room, packing up books and CDs in boxes then shrinking the boxes down and placing them in a large lockbox. They worked in silence, and it was nearly an hour later that they found themselves emptying the same bookcase. Pride of place on the centre of one shelf was a small stone bowl, which Draco assumed was a display-pensieve. Sure enough, when he touched the edge lightly as smoky projection rose up from the silvers water, and Draco gasped as a tiny child formed from the smoke. 

Harry looked up at Draco's gasp and saw the repeated memory of the meeting with the Maternity Healer. Seeing his daughter again ripped at the last of Harry's control and he sank to the floor, wrapping in on himself and trembling. Draco tore his eyes away from the small pensieve and sank to the floor, wrapping his arms around Harry's trembling shoulders. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Harry."

Pressing into Draco's embrace, Harry tried to organise the thoughts screaming through his head, tried to silence the small voice that taunted him, pointing out his failure to keep Ginny alive, and his failure to even mourn her properly. Harry didn't mean to speak, but the words tumbled out unbidden. "I should have made her stay here, but I didn't and now she's gone. And I know I should feel bad for her, she was my friend and she's dead but I can't, I can't miss her I just miss my baby, I wanted that baby so much Draco and the whole time I was looking at Ginny like a means to an end, fantasizing that she'd lose interest and leave then you and me could…gods Draco I didn't want her, I wanted that child and you and now I can't…I can't…"

Draco tightened his grip on Harry, his own tears dripping into Harry's hair as he tried to ignore the small flush of hope that had spread through his chest. Now was not the time; he hadn't learnt how to put Harry first only to indulge his own emotions when Harry needed him. 

He didn't know how long they sat there on the floor of Ginny's apartment, wrapped in each other's arms and just holding on. But what Harry did know, when he looked up and met soft grey eyes, was that he couldn't survive losing Draco too. Leaning forwards, Harry pressed his lips against Draco's softly. The kiss was light, and faintly salty, but it was warm and pure and it made Harry believe that maybe there was a way out of this. 

Pulling back, Harry didn't dare meet Draco's eyes, instead looking at his strong jaw. He saw the pale fingers come up to cup his chin, lifting his head upwards to meet Draco's eyes again, and he panicked. "I'm, sorry I had no right…"

"Harry, I said I'd wait as long as it took. Don't do something you're going to regret."

Nodding softly, Harry leant forwards and dropped another tentative kiss on Draco's lips before resting back in the blonde's arms. They sat, leant against the back of the sofa and facing the bookcase, in perfect silence. Harry had spent a lot of time in this flat in silence; but that had been uncomfortable, longing silence. This was different, this was safe, and Harry couldn't help but flinch when it was broken.

No matter how much he tried, Draco couldn’'t hold back the question that burned inside his chest, the question he needed an answer to if hew were to move past this. His voice trembled as he spoke, "What…what do you remember, about that night."

Though his primary instinct was to yell, Harry knew he owed Draco a re-telling of events at the very least. Taking a deep breath, Harry moved out of Draco's arms and sat next to him, their shoulders brushing softly. "I…uh…we fought, and we both said stupid things. I went round to Hermione and Ron's, but they were out so I went to a club – that one on Layton Road. I was sat at the bar knocking back tequila when Ginny came in. She asked if she could sit with me, and said if I wanted to talk she would listen. I didn't mean to say anything, but I ended up talking to her. I was pretty drunk, and she said I could sleep it off at hers. So we went back to her flat and I…I remember feeling so sick. I was going to call you, but she said it'd be best to do it when I'd sobered up. She gave me some water and then…I don't remember anything after that until the next morning, when I woke up and left."

Harry fell silent, waiting a few moments before he chanced a look up at Draco. The blonde shot him a sad smile, and squeezed his knee gently. "We'll work things out. Come on, we need to finish up here."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

They were packing Ginny's belonging into boxes in silence when Draco found an ornate journal hidden away in the desk drawer. He was surprised that there was only what felt like a simple locking charm on it, but put it down to Ginny knowing Harry would never read her diary. He turned round and coughed slightly to get Harry's attention, holding the journal up. "I found this; I didn't know Ginny kept a diary?"

Harry put down the jeans he'd been folding and crossed the room. "I didn't either. Do you think we should destroy it?"

"Why?"

"Well, Molly will probably want to read it. Just…I don't know, what do girls write in diaries?"

Draco pondered that for a moment, then shrugged. "No idea. But it might help Molly grieve, having a little bit of Ginny's voice to hold on to."

Harry nodded and took the journal, intending to put it in the small box of trinkets that he'd give to Molly, so that she didn't have to sort through Ginny's things until she was fully ready. But, as his fingers closed around the patterned leather binding, gently brushing against Draco's, Harry saw the corner of a photograph poking out of the pages. "She has photographs in here."

Draco looked, and shrugged softly. "Must be from some party she went to."

He was set to go back to work when he saw the look on Harry's face.   
"What is it?"

"The…the cuff of the shirt looks like the one you wore to Ron and Hermione's anniversary party last year."

Moving to stand around by Harry's side, Draco looked down at the photograph. He could only see the forearm – the rest of the photograph was hidden in the diary, but it did look a lot like his shirt. His curiosity piqued, Draco looked up at Harry and raised an eyebrow. "This is your call."

"We're only going to let Molly see. It…it couldn't hurt, could it?"

"Harry, this is your call."

Harry nodded, and though he knew that the right thing was to put the diary in the box for Molly and forget about it, he couldn't let go of his curiosity. Murmuring the counter-charm to the locking spell on the diary, Harry flipped it open to the page where the photo stuck out and swore under his breath. The picture was of Draco; his eyes scratched out with a quill and the entire page next to the one that housed his photo was filled with…ranting, was the only word Harry could come up with…harsh, cruel words calling Draco every name under the sun. 

His fingers shaking, Harry flicked the pages, seeing pictures of him, some that seemed to have been taken from afar. Some were ripped down the middle, Draco obviously forcibly removed. When the pictures stopped, the entries continued, and Harry read them even as tears formed in his eyes.

_Diary,_

_Today I finished the potion. He's so powerful, so strong, that I've had to work hard to_  
ensure he won't be able to fight it. Our child will be so powerful, and Harry'll use his  
strength to protect me. He's wasted on that blonde whore, that filthy little faggot, and  
he'll see that soon. All I need now is a time to give it to him. I can't let the blonde  
fucker see me do it, or he'll cause a scene. 

_I need to sleep now, it's been so long making this potion and I need to rest._

_Diary,_

_I hate him! How can he do this to me! I worked so hard, made the potion perfectly,_  
and I bided my time! I waited and waited for the perfect moment and I got it! I got the  
perfect moment and Harry was so easy to lead, to bring back here. Even though he'd  
talked about that slut all night, I forgave him. I gave him the potion, and he drank it.  
He's so good, and he'll see that we're perfect together, I just know it. 

_He came to bed easily when I told him he could see the whore later on. But it wasn't_  
right, him laid there, his eyes glazed over as the potions took hold of him. His body  
was easy to manipulate, responding to the lust potions just like I knew it would.  
Soon I won't need the potion; soon we'll make love because he wants to, and I won't  
have to look into vacant eyes. 

_He was so far gone, I was so certain of it, but then when he came and he moaned that_  
SLUT'S NAME!!! He was in MY bed, creating OUR CHILD and he moaned for that  
WHORE!! I nearly broke right then! I hated him in that instant! That can't happen  
again; if I have to keep using the potion I need to alter the amounts of Imperium or  
he'll keep pining for that whore. 

_Diary,_

_I saw the Maternity Healer today, and I'm pregnant! It's worked! I knew, that if I_  
waited long enough, the fates would bring us together. But now I have to be careful, I  
have to make sure he comes to me and I don't take him from the whore. I'll go round  
and see them later; make sure Harry knows he's going to be a Daddy soon. He'll  
never abandon a child, and soon he'll be mine, and that whore will be out of the  
picture. 

_Diary,_

_He's still pining for the whore. But we're going to the Maternity Healer tomorrow;_  
hopefully that will show him that this is what he's supposed to be – my lover and the  
father of our children. Everything will work out, I just know it. He'll fall in love with  
me, and I won't need to start using the potion again. He'll see that I'm his destiny and  
we'll be a family together. 

_I saw Ron today, and he seemed off with me. For a moment I panicked that he knew,_  
but then I realised there was no way he could know, and I'm just being paranoid. I  
think he's shocked – he was stupid enough to think that Harry's infatuation with the  
slut would last. But I knew it wouldn't – I knew it wasn't love, just infatuation. Just  
wanting to try something new before he came back to me. 

_Still, I might have to do something. With the whore still in the picture, Harry won't be_  
fully free to be with me – the whore will dig his claws in. But I'll worry about that  
later; right now I need to get ready for bed. 

_Soon he'll be in here with me. Either of his own free will or by potion if I have to._  
Harry's stubborn; I might have to use the potion to begin with. But soon he'll see, and  
everything will be fine. 

 

The diary fell from his hands, thudding against the floor as tears flowed freely down his face. Turning to look at Draco, seeing the same horror and revulsion that he felt painted on the blonde's face, Harry's voice cracked as he spoke. "It was…everything was…a lie…a manipulation…all of it…"


	8. Reunion

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Genlisae - Thank you kindly Ma'am!  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 2137  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, Severus, Remus, Tonks  
 **Warnings** \- Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

 

"It was…everything was…a lie…a manipulation…all of it…"

Draco reached out a hand to Harry but the brunette jerked away, staring in horror at the journal lay open on the floor. "All of it…just to split us up! A **child** Draco, and she used it to manipulate me! I gave up _everything_ and for what? She drugged me! She…this…how can she…why! Draco why the hell is this happening to me? What did I do?"

"I don't…Harry I don't know…"

"She drugged me?! How the hell…and she was going to keep on doing it! Gods, I thought…I thought I'd fucked up, thought I'd cheated on you and she'd made that decision for me!"

Stepping forwards again, Draco managed to get a hold on Harry and pulled the brunette into his arms. "Harry, we need to get you to a Healer. It reads like she concocted her own potion – we have to check you're alright."

Snapping away from Draco, Harry spun on the spot. "The potion…she must have it around here. Where haven't we packed up yet?"

"The kitchen but…"

Draco was cut off as Harry ran past him, bolting into the kitchen area and pulling open cupboards harshly; flinging plates and cups to the floor as he searched. Right at the back of one cupboard his fingers were burned by protective wards. Grabbing his wand, Harry set to disabling the wards. It took only seconds to take down Ginny's poor spell work, and Harry's eyes widened as the wooden box appeared in view. 

Taking it out of the cupboard, Harry set the box on the kitchen counter and flipped the lid. Nestled inside were various vials inscribed with neat script, and six vials bearing Ginny's hand. Those vials contained a pale blue potion; the end result of her brewing. One vial was only two thirds full, and Harry gagged at the thought of her drugging him, poisoning him like this. Turning desperate eyes to Draco, he saw the same fear and revulsion in the blonde's face that he was feeling.

Draco had always known Ginny harboured desires for Harry, was a little obsessed with him, but this? This was sick; this was scary and fucked up. Draco didn't know how to sort this out, but he did know that Harry needed to be checked out. "Come on, we have to go and see Severus."

"Draco I…"

"He can check you out and confirm what is in the potion. Harry, we have to go right now."

Nodding, Harry put his trust in Draco and followed the blonde out of the door, taking a vial of potion with him.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Severus waved his wand in complicated patterns over Harry for almost fifteen minutes before he nodded softly. "Physically, you are fine Mr Potter. There are no negative side-effects."

Draco let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding and squeezed Harry's hand softly. The brunette squeezed back a little, and turned to Severus. "Can you tell what was in the potion?"

Severus nodded, moving over to his bubbling cauldron and performing the final steps of the distilling process. The silence was tense as they waited for the process to complete, and when Severus drew off the component ingredients, Harry's grip on Draco's hand tightened almost painfully. They watched and waited as Severus performed diagnostic spells to place the components, his expression getting darker and darker. "Amortentia, Imperium and Redigo potions. To incite lust, give her control over you, and dampen your natural magic, stripping your ability to fight off the effects of the potion."

Turning around, Severus couldn't help but be moved by the look on Harry's face. "If it would help, I can Legilimens the memory from you."

"I don't remember."

"I know, but the incident is still recorded in your mind. I can find it, if you so wish?"

Harry nodded softly – he had to know – and met Severus' eyes slowly. He felt the push of another mind entering his, and battled against his natural instinct to fight it. When Severus broke the connection his skin had a sickly yellow tinge, and he was looking at Harry with more compassion that he ever had during the war. "I…how would you like to see?"

Squeezing Draco's hand again, Harry cleared his throat. "You have a pensieve?"

"Yes."

"Then we can use that, so we can all see."

"Harry you don't have to…"

"I want…I _need_ you here with me Draco."

Hearing the crack in Harry's voice, Draco murmured his assent and led them over to the small sofa. They sat down and waited for Severus to join them; setting the pensieve on the coffee table and pulling a silvery strand of memory from his own mind. A wave of his wand had tendrils of smoke rising up, forming figures as the three men watched.

 

_Ginny sat down next to Harry and he spoke in a sad voice. "I'm such an idiot. I should call Draco and let him know I'm okay."_

_"You're very drunk Harry, you'll just end up yelling at him. Call him in the morning and sort this out, okay?"_

_"I miss him."_

_"You'll be with him soon."_

_"I love him. I should just settle for what I can get. I don't want to be alone. At least with Draco I'm never alone, even if it's never perfect. I don't want to be on my own Gin."_

_Ginny smiled, stroking her fingers through Harry's hair softly and cradling him in her arms. "You won't ever be alone Harry, I'll always be here."_

_Harry mumbled something, and Ginny shifted to look at him. His eyes had a glassy, spaced-out expression in them, and Ginny smiled softly before she spoke. "Harry, touch your chin with your right hand for me."_

_His right hand hovered up, swaying gently before pressing against his chin, and Ginny exhaled slowly before speaking again. "Come to bed, Harry."_

_"Is Draco there?"_

_Nodding softly, she ran a hand over Harry's cheek. "You'll be with Draco again soon, okay?"_

_He nodded, following her calmly into her bedroom. "Undress, Harry, and then make love to me."_

_"And then can I see Draco?"_

_She nodded, and Harry complied with her commands, his body reacting to her light touch. She pushed him back onto the bed, stripping her own clothes off quickly before climbing on top of his lithe body. Repeating her command, Ginny moved on top of Harry as he lay unmoving on the bed; his eyes out of focus and his jaw slack. The coupling was fast and dispassionate, but as Ginny pulled at his nipples Harry's body responded to the stimulation. His face twisting in pleasure, he cried out softly as he came. "Draco…"_

_The look on Ginny's face was lethal, and as Harry passed out she pulled off him and stormed out of the room…_

 

The smoke faded away with the end of the memory, and Severus busied himself putting the pensieve back in its place as Draco wiped silent tears from Harry's cheeks. He nodded softly at Draco when the blonde stood up, holding out a hand to Harry. "Come on Harry, let's go home."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Harry found Draco in the kitchen making coffee, and shot the blonde a soft smile. "Morning."

"Morning Harry. Sleep okay?"

"Not really."

Draco nodded; Harry hadn't slept well in a long time. It'd been a fortnight since Ginny's manipulations had come to light, and Harry had come back home with Draco that afternoon and not left since. They'd talked a lot, gone over what had happened and what could happen now. Both of them neatly skirted around the issue of their relationship – as much as they both wanted it back, they knew it would take time to rebuild. And things still had to be tied up here.

Harry accepted the cup of black coffee from Draco and blew over the surface. "I…I need to see the Weasleys."

"Okay."

"I'm going to go this morning. I can't…I can't avoid them any longer."

Draco nodded – the owls from various members of the Weasley family had been frequent. Taking a sip of his own coffee, Draco stared into the murky depths as he spoke. "I can come with you, if you like?"

"I'd…thank you. I'd like that."

Taking a deep draught from his coffee, Draco shot Harry a small smile. In truth he'd rather slit his wrists; but he suspected that the Weasleys would be difficult to manage, and Harry needed his support. 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Harry couldn't help himself; when Molly moved to wrap her arms around him he flinched back. The look of hurt on her face tore at his heart, but he had no choice. He cleared his throat, checking who was at the table without making eye contact – Ron and Hermione, their kids, Moll, Arthur and the twins. "I…uh…we have to talk."

Ron knew that tone from Harry, and the bad feeling he'd had ever since Ginny had announced her pregnancy intensified tenfold. "Kids, go play in the living room."

"But Dad…"

"Now!"

When his twins were out of the room, Ron put up a privacy spell and turned to look at Harry and Draco. But before he could speak, his mother got in. "You poor lamb, cleaning out her things must have been too much for you. I know you miss her terribly, we all do. You shouldn't cut yourself off from your family Harry; we know you're hurting, you loved Ginny and…"

Harry laughed mirthlessly, and shook his head. "It's cleaning out the flat that brought me here today. I've been avoiding you because I didn't know what to say."

"About what? Harry dear, you aren't responsible for Ginny's death. It's awful she's gone but…"

"It's awful that with her went my child. Please, Molly, let me speak. Just sit down and let me speak." Harry waited while Molly took a seat before he continued. He'd practiced this speech in his head a thousand times, yet now the time was here he was struggling to speak. Finally finding his voice, Harry set the journal and potions box down on the kitchen table, keeping his eyes on them as he spoke. "When we were sorting out Ginny's things…"

"We?"

"I asked Draco to help me."

The disapproving little noise from Molly told Harry all he needed to know about the outcome of this conversation, but he kept on regardless. "I could never remember it, remember anything about that night after we got to her house and she gave me a glass of water. I didn't have any feelings for her, and she wasn't even the first person I sought sanctuary from. When she came to my home and told me she was pregnant I did the honourable thing. I left the man I loved to stand by a drunken mistake…"

"Don't say that!"

"It was the truth, Fred! But that's irrelevant, because it wasn't even a drunken mistake. When we were packing up her flat, we found Ginny's diary."

"And?"

Harry shrugged, pointing at it. "See for yourselves."

It was Molly that picked up the diary and read through it, her face aghast. "No, this is…"

"Horrible, I know. But you all needed to know, needed to understand why I've been gone, why I've avoided you. You all need to see what she was capable of. Go further back; read the entries about Fleur. About breeding self-centred bastards with Bill. Read her fantasize about Fleur losing the child. And read the damn dates. Tell me it's coincidence that Fleur lost her baby last summer."

Harry fell silent, trembling with pent-up emotion as he tried to contain himself. There was shocked silence, until finally Molly looked up, fixing Harry in a cold glare. "This is a lie."

"Molly she drugged me!"

"My daughter would do no such thing! This is _his_ fault!" Her finger pointed shakily at Draco, Molly advanced on him, her face flushed with rage. "He's setting my daughter up; using her death to win you back! He's always been a manipulative little boy, turning to the Light for no good reason! He's trying to make you hate Ginny, hate the child you created with her, so that he can have you back! He's deceiving you! He's a lying bastard, dishonouring Ginny's memory!"

Draco shook his head, holding his hands in front of him as he took a step back. "I did no such thing."

Molly exploded, rushing at Draco and having to be restrained by her sons. In the pandemonium that followed, Draco grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him close. "If you have any doubts about this, then pin it on me. Blame me, and keep your family. You have to choose what's best for you Harry."

Casting a quick glance around the kitchen, Draco stepped out of the door and Disapparated with a soft pop.


	9. Can't

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Genlisae - Thank you kindly Ma'am!  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 1740  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, Severus, Remus, Tonks  
 **Warnings** \- Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

 

 

Harry stood silently while Molly was calmed down, his head spinning frantically at Draco's words. He knew, and Draco knew, that Ginny had done this. It made sense, in a scary, stalker-ish kind of way. So why had Draco said that? Why had he given Harry this choice to make? As he listened to the pandemonium, Harry's mouth dropped open when realisation struck. He knew in that instant what his choice was, and Harry felt more confident when silence fell and the occupants of the kitchen looked at him expectantly.

Clearing his throat, Harry began to speak. "This is the truth. The fact you don't want to believe it doesn't make it any less true. Ginny lied, cheated and manipulated my life, and yours by association. What she did was tantamount to rape. The other things she talks about in there may or may not be true, but for the record I hope to Merlin they aren't. Because if they are then she had been deranged for a long time and we all missed it."

"She wasn't…"

Harry sighed, raising his hands to his face and trying to find the words to make them understand. Except he knew, deep down, that they'd never understand. They couldn't understand this, not just on his word and not just like this. Sighing again, Harry looked up and met every pair of eyes in the room before he continued. "I'm not going to report her, or say anything about this. But you have to know where I stand. Even when she was alive, I was only with her for the child. There was never, nor would there ever have been, anything more between us. Ginny lied and hid her manipulations, but I'll be honest about mine. When I walk out of that door I'm going after the man I love. If you can't accept him, then you can't accept me. My door won't ever be closed to you – you are my family and I love you. But I've lost Draco once, I won't lose him again."

Before they had a chance to react Harry had turned and walked out, biting down on his cheek to hold back tears. 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Harry had been walking for nearly an hour after he'd Apparated to an alleyway near his home. After all, that's what it was; his _home_. With his _soul-mate_. Everything had gotten so broken, and Harry was damned if he was going to take this lying down. Steeling his nerves he turned onto their street and headed to the front door. A heart-felt apology would be the best place to start, and then he'd offer Draco whatever it took to win the blonde back.

As he closed the door behind him Harry listened carefully, hearing steps in the bathroom. He walked quietly up the stairs, planning out what he was going to say to Draco. But all his planning went out of the window when he saw Draco packing his toiletries into a bag. "What are you doing?"

The blonde spun around; his skin pale and his eyes red-rimmed. "I…uhm…you need some space to think and…"

Throwing aside all his notions of proprietary, of taking time and accepting anything Draco asked of him, Harry stepped forward and threw himself at Draco, wrapping his arms around the blonde and holding on tight. "Please, please don't leave me."

"Harry I…"

"Draco _please_! I will do anything, anything you ask to put this right but please don't leave me!"

Draco heard the tears in Harry's voice and let his wash bag drop to the floor, cradling Harry tightly and soothing him softly. "Harry I won't, if you don't want me to but…"

"I don't want you to!"

Leaning back, Draco moved one hand to cup Harry's cheek, stroking the pad of his thumb in slow circles. "Then I'll stay. I just thought you'd need some time alone. Harry they are your family and…"

"And you are my world. Anything that has to be done, I will do it. I know you can't just forgive me but…"

"Harry, you don't need forgiving. It wasn't your fault."

"If I hadn't stormed out then…"

"Don't. I can't get through playing that game. What happened, happened and now we pick up the pieces. But this wasn't your fault. I should have known…shouldn't have gotten so blindly angry instead of investigating this further."

"You didn't do anything wrong!"

Draco smiled softly at the indignant look in Harry's eyes and nodded. "No more or less than you did. I know you, and I should have trusted my heart when it told me that however you might hurt me, you wouldn't cheat on me. It isn't inside you to do something like that."

Harry nodded, leaning his forehead against Draco's and exhaling slowly. "So where do we go from here?"

"I don't know. Somewhere, anywhere. Just as long as I don't end up with the towel rail poking into my arse."

Laughing, Harry took a step back, pulling Draco with him. He was reluctant to let Draco go, so instead he brought one hand up, caressing the blonde's face with the tips of his fingers. He held Draco's eyes, praying that the blonde could see past green irises and into Harry's soul. Not taking his eyes away, Harry leant forward and brushed his lips against Draco's; the touch so light it was barely even a kiss. When he wasn't rebuked Harry got bolder, brushing his lips with more pressure. "I can't live without you."

Draco murmured his assent, too busy with the sensations Harry was causing. He'd missed the brunette so much, missed just being close to him, and Draco couldn't have stopped his hips undulating against Harry's if he'd tried. Pushing himself tight against Harry, Draco nibbled softly on the sensitive skin just under Harry's jaw, speaking into the skin. "I can't wait for this to be proper, for it to be right."

His head tipped to the side to grant Draco better access, Harry groaned his assent. Every rational part of him screamed that after everything, they should take things slow, but he couldn't. He needed to feel Draco, to reclaim the blonde as his. Trailing his hands down Draco's sides and to his arse, Harry lifted the blonde up and tipped his head back up to capture Draco's lips in a kiss. 

Together they staggered into the bedroom, lips and limbs locked together as they clung onto each other. It was clumsy and disorientated, but Harry managed to make it to the bed before he lost his balance; toppling the two of them onto the soft mattress. Draco wriggled underneath him, pale fingers scrabbling at the hem of Harry's shirt and yanking it up forcefully. Harry shifted his body, aiding Draco's quest to get them both naked as fast as possible by fumbling his jeans with one hand and Draco's with the other. 

Freeing the buckles, Harry pulled back and pushed his jeans and boxers over his hips, fumbling on the bed to kick them off. Now he was naked he could focus on Draco; pulling the blonde's trousers down sharply but taking more time with his boxers, making him feel the warm silk drag over his skin. From there it was just a matter of undoing the remaining buttons and pushing the cream shirt off pale shoulders, and then Harry was knelt on the bed staring down at his gloriously naked lover.

Draco shifted on the bed a little, his body humming with anticipation. He didn't know whether to feel cheated or relieved by the muttered lubricating and stretching spells, but he went with relieved at the first touch of Harry's blunt head to his entrance. The brunette slid in slowly and steadily, his forehead dropping down to rest on Draco's shoulder as they let the feelings of completion wash over them. Whatever the hell happened next, both men knew they would face it together.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Harry opened the door and shot a nervous smile at the visitor. "You came."

Ron shrugged, heading into the house when Harry stepped back and walking into the living room like he'd always done. He shot a small smile at Draco and flopped down in the armchair, accepting the mug of coffee that Harry poured and handed him. "'Mione says sorry, but Luke has a cold and she doesn't want to bring them and infect you two."

Harry laughed nervously and took a sip of his coffee, more to keep himself occupied than anything else. When he'd bumped into Ron at work and suggested the redhead come over for a coffee, he'd been certain he'd be rebuked. But the invite had been gruffly accepted, and Harry had spent the intervening six days worrying about it. 

"I asked, subtly. Bill and Fleur didn't see Ginny at all between announcing the pregnancy and losing the baby. It was just coincidence."

"That's…that's good."

The silence was strained, and when Ron opened his mouth Harry tensed for the fall out. But it didn't come. "Bill and Charlie will probably want a word with you. They know about…you…but that's it. It…Dad would appreciate it if you kept the rest to yourselves. The twins are still pretty rocked, but they're coming round. And Dad will probably say something when you meet with him next week, in amongst all the official business."

He knew it was pushing his luck, but Harry couldn't help asking. "And your…your Mum?"

"Ginny was her baby girl."

Draining his dregs, Ron stood up and scuffed the toe of his shoe over the carpet. "It's broken her heart, all of ours too. I bought her that journal Christmas before last. One of a kind. Give it time."

Harry nodded and stood up, standing awkwardly as he pondered what to say. Luckily Draco stood up too, holding his hand out to Ron. "You should come over, when the kids are better and you're free. I'll make sure Harry doesn't cook."

Ron let out a strained bark of laughter, but he took the offered hand and shook it quickly. Repeating the action with Harry, Ron stepped out towards the front door, turning back when he'd opened it to finally meet Harry's eyes. "I'm sorry. And for what it's worth, I hope you two work through this."

Harry ducked his head in thanks, leaning against Draco as the door clicked shut and they were alone again. "So where now?"

"Slowly forwards."


	10. Possessive

**Title** \- Coeur Sauvage   
**Author** \- SoftlySweetly  
 **Beta** \- Genlisae - Thank you kindly Ma'am!  
 **Rating** \- NC17  
 **Word Count** \- 1936  
 **Summary** \- In the twisting aftermath of betrayal from all corners, can Harry and Draco repair what was lost, or is the old adage of 'love conquers all' a fallacy of epic proportions  
 **Characters/Pairings** \- Harry/Draco, Ginny, The Weasleys, Hermione, Severus, Remus, Tonks  
 **Warnings** \- Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Character Death, Implied Het, Violence, General Darkness, Manipulation  
 **Disclaimer** \- I own nothing but the plot lines. I make no money from this story, and intend no offence.  
 **Author's Notes** \- Ginny is EVIL in this fic. Just warning y'all. The title is French, and translates as _'Savage Heart'_. This story is set in the _Chronicles_ Universe and counts for prompts 41-50 of my 100quills table, which can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/100quills+100.3+table).

Other stories in the _Chronicles_ Universe can be found [here](http://softly-sweetly.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles+series).

 

 

 

Draco stood by the sink, cradling a coffee cup while he watched Harry staring blankly into space as he sat on the porch. The brunette's cheeks were pink from the chill of the winter evening, and Draco set his cup down and went to fetch a blanket. It'd been six months since they'd discovered Ginny's manipulations. Things were still strained between them and the Weasleys, and Molly refused to speak to them at all. But things were slowly being mended, and their friendship with Ron and Hermione was almost completely back to normal.

Finally, Harry was starting to heal again. There were still times, like now, when he would stare blankly into space and Draco felt a thousand miles from him, but they were nowhere near as frequent as they had been. His reaction to what had happened had been delayed; for a few weeks after they'd found the diary they'd returned to how their life had been before Ginny had ruined everything.

Then one afternoon Draco had come home from work to find Harry sat in the shower in tears. The brunette had flinched from his touch, just crying harder. When he'd finally gotten close to Harry they'd sat under the spray for hours, Draco's clothes soaked transparent as Harry trembled in his arms.

It had been hard, was still hard, for Harry to explain what he felt. For reasons that Draco disliked, but could understand, Harry had kept true to his promise to the Weasleys and said nothing to anyone of what Ginny had done. But that didn't stop it destroying him. 

Though the Wizarding World was generally liberal, it was still conservative in some areas. One of those areas was male rape. Though he hadn't been penetrated, he'd been raped, and Draco knew it hung heavy over Harry. The brunette, and for that matter Draco himself, didn't know how to process or cope with the feelings it elicited. For Harry it was hard; the sudden knowledge he'd been forced into sex without his consent yet lived with it quite happily for three months, completely oblivious.

The incident in the shower, for all intents and purposes, had been a nervous breakdown. Harry had taken indefinite leave from work and spent a lot of time just curled in on himself, unreachable to Draco or his friends. There had been periods, in those first few months, when Draco had wondered how the hell they would ever pull through.

But then things had slowly begun to get better. Slowly, Harry had begun to open up and talk about his feelings. And Draco had heard the guilt in Harry's voice; that he could mourn his child so strongly, yet be almost relieved that Ginny was dead. They'd sat up all night talking about irrelevant things and important things. Together, they'd started to process what had happened, and began to heal the wounds.

And now, six months down the line, the only considerable change in Harry was an increased possessiveness of Draco. Which, if he was honest, Draco didn't mind one bit. He himself felt much more possessive of Harry, and if always being there when the brunette called was what it took to keep Harry happy, then Draco could cope with actually learning how to work his mobile and keeping it on him at all times. He actually quite enjoyed the random texts, asking how he was and if he fancied salmon for tea. Though, with Harry going back to work in a few days, Draco knew that those texts would diminish. Still, he'd be able to nip down the hall and visibly check up on Harry instead.

Pulling the kitchen door closed behind him, Draco crossed over to the steps and dropped down next to Harry, tossing the blanket around them and snuggling against Harry. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just daydreaming."

"About anything, or nothing?"

Harry smiled, pulling Draco tighter and leaning their heads together. "Just thinking that a jungle gym would fit right in that open clearing bit, near the oak tree."

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

_ One Year, Three Weeks and Four Days Later _

"Fu-u-u-u-ck!"

Harry flinched a little and put his head around the door, ducking back out when a pair of forceps were flung at him. Shooting a glare at a sniggering Ron, Harry went back to pacing the hallway. 

After they'd talked it out and found out about the logistics of magically-aided Male Pregnancy (aided by a violently blushing Severus, in a conversation Harry would sell his soul to never have again), he and Draco had spent a glorious four months practising conception before it had finally taken hold. The wonderful thing about magic was it could be precise; they had an exact date of conception and Harry could remember every detail with perfect clarity, from the half-prepared romantic meal to the couplings on the kitchen floor, stairs, landing and bed. 

That wasn't to say it had been easy. Pregnancy was hard, and when your body doesn't have thousands of years of evolution working in its favour it is even harder. They'd had countless tests to see which of them was better suited to carry a child (a blow to Draco's sense of masculinity that Harry spent a long time on his knees soothing) and then a dozen potions to help and aid conception and gestation.

Then there had been the mood swings, the morning sickness, the sex-drive swinging between non-existent and animalistic, and that was just Harry! But at the three month scan, when they'd been officially cleared as pregnant and free from the highest risks of miscarriage, when the two of them had watched the tiny smoke rendition of their child swirl in the examination room, all of the difficulties had fallen away.

"HARRY!"

Shooting a nervous smile at Hermione and Ron, Harry darted into the delivery room and cautiously approached Draco. "Baby?"

Grabbing Harry's hand, Draco squeezed tightly as a wave of pain ran through him at the latest contraction. He took a strange, perverse joy from the pain on Harry's face, and hoped that he'd broken at least one of the delicate little bones in the brunette's hand. "You got me into this…you'll fucking well suffer with me until I'm out of it!"

Draco found that snarking at Harry actually dulled the lingering ache, but as he opened his mouth to continue another contraction hit and he was struck silent, face twisted in a grimace of pain. Draco regained himself just in time to grab Harry's shirt and yank him away from the foot of the bed. "Where the…fuck do you…think you're…going?"

Harry shot Draco a hopeful look. The logistics of a birthing canal forming somewhere between balls and anus was something that had occupied Harry's thoughts a lot recently. "I just want to see."

"You are not perving on me now. Get back here!"

Though Harry moved obediently back to him, Draco could see the brunette looking longingly at the foot of the bed, and he rolled his eyes. "One look! Then back here!"

"Draco?"

"Your curiosity needs satisfying, and I'm damned if I'm doing this again!"

Harry moved to the foot of the bed, peering over the Maternity Healer's shoulder. His eyes widened and his cheeks took on an ashen twinge before he practically ran back to the head of the bed, getting into position with his arm around Draco so the blonde could hold both his hands. "It's…uhm…yeah…"

Draco would have yelled, but another contraction was rippling through him, this one the worst yet.

"Almost there Mr Malfoy, one last push."

Taking a deep breath, Draco _pushed_ , growling with exertion as pain exploded through him, so much worse than anything he'd experienced. His body started to shut down, determined to slip into unconsciousness and try to heal. It changed its mind, though, when a strangled cry broke through the air. Draco's focus snapped back and he raised his head as the Healer held up a squirming, screaming baby. 

"It's a boy."

Draco smiled softly before finally giving in to exhaustion and unconsciousness.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

When Draco cracked his eyes open he could feel the gentle buzz of pain-relief potions in his body. The room was dark, and as he looked over to the window his eyes came to rest on Harry. The brunette was stood in the beam of moonlight shining through the window, rocking a tiny bundle of blankets and speaking in a low, soothing voice. As he came around to full consciousness, Draco watched father and son rocking gently, and felt a smile curve his lips. 

Harry heard the bed shift and turned around to face Draco. "You're awake."

"Yeah. Is he alright?"

Harry beamed, crossing over to the bed and sitting down gingerly, passing the bundle of cloth and child into Draco's arms. For long minutes they just stared, both lost in the indescribable emotions elicited by such a tiny creature. Draco reached a finger out to just stroke the soft, plump cheek, and when he looked up at Harry he was relieved to see the brunette's eyes were as damp as his own. "We…uh…never settled on a name."

Harry nodded, looking back down at the sleeping boy and pondering. "He looks like a Nicholas."

Looking down, Draco smiled and nodded softly. "Yeah, he does. Nicholas Malfoy-Potter."

Moving on the bed so that Draco could rest against him and Nicholas could be cradled between them, Harry shot a cheeky smile at his lover. "Guess I should make an honest man out of you now!"

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Harry looked up from his book, shooting Draco a confused look as the doorbell sounded. They weren't expecting anyone, and as Draco shifted Nicholas in his arms, Harry set his book down on the arm of the chair and headed out to the front door. He opened it, expecting a door-to-door salesman, and his mouth dropped open as his eyes rested on Molly Weasley. "Uhm…hi."

"Hello Harry."

A blush crept up her cheeks, and Molly shifted uncomfortable for a moment before looking up at Harry. He looked tired – the kind of tired that only comes from a month old baby boy, but she'd never seen him looking happier or more at peace with the world. Her carefully prepared speech, born of nearly two years anger and frustration, fell apart in her mind and all she could do was look at Harry helplessly. "I was so scared, to believe she could have gotten to that point and I hadn't seen it."

Harry nodded, drawing his arms around himself and shooting her a timid smile. For a moment he thought that was it, but then she spoke again, holding out a small gift bag. "I knitted these. They might be a little big, but a simple shrinking charm will sort that out."

Peering down into the bag, Harry smiled at the matching booties, mittens and hat. "They're lovely. He's awake, if you want to come in?"

"I should go."

"Please? I can put some tea on?"

Seeing the sincerity in jade green eyes, Molly smiled and nodded softly. So much for little steps. "I'd be honoured."

Stepping back and allowing Molly to cross the threshold into their home – their _life_ \- Harry felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Shooting a soft smile at Draco as the blonde passed Nicholas into Molly's arms, Harry ambled into the kitchen and flicked on the kettle. He started a little as arms wrapped around his waist, and leant back against Draco. 

"So, now that everyone is speaking, or on the road to speaking, again, I think it's time for you to make good on your 'honest man' promise."


End file.
